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LAS VEGAS — CES doesn't want to exist called the Consumer Electronics Show whatsoever more — but C, E and S. But likewise, because it could about be called the Car Electronics Show. The North Hall of Las Vegas Convention Heart was taken over by the automakers and suppliers, makers of automobile electronics such as Garmin, and a few resolute makers of aftermarket automobile speakers. Two of the principal keynote speakers were from the motorcar industry: Carlos Ghosn of Nissan and Jen-Hsun Huang of Nvidia (for all intents and purposes an automotive supplier now).

Where CES used to be adumbral by an unaffiliated porn show (in 2022, it's held two weeks later on), at present there'due south a major unaffiliated motorcar tech conference, the Consumer Telematics Prove (CTS). In curt, cars are big. Hither'southward a look at the automakers and suppliers who made CES 2022 fascinating.

Free rides of EVs and plug-ins

BMW i8

BMW i8 plug-in hybrid

The most visible automaker was BMW, with a big berth right outside the Las Vegas Conventions Center's front entrances, next to the monorail station. BMW offered ride-and-drives fabricated available to the show's estimated 175,00 convention-goers. That included the electrical or electric with range-extender combustion engine BMW i3 urban commuter, and the plug-in hybrid BMW i8. BMW is finer marketing the cars straight to showgoers who are also auto buyers. Dealers can relax; BMW isn't selling the cars outright, just whetting buyer appetites.

A handful of editors and analysts got to drive BMW'south democratic v Serial prototype car — that is, the just-released 2022 v Series showing its take on interstate capable autonomous driving at what amounts to SAE Level 3 autonomy (meaning the automobile can drive itself, but the driver has to be able to have over control).

North Hall not completely transformed

A scattering of vendors of audio-video upgrade gear are still at the bear witness, including what appeared to the last remaining vendor with booth models: Cerwin Vega.

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The LVCC's North Hall comprises 409,000 foursquare feet, equal to 3-4 Home Depots or nine football fields. It used to be the province of upgradeable machine audio components (some played real loud) and booth models signing swimsuit fantasy posters, plus sellers of amplifiers, radar detectors, speaker cable, neon and LED exterior lighting, radar detectors, even illuminated tire valve caps. As of 2022, the bulk of the space belonged to the automakers, including Chrysler, Faraday Future, Honda, Toyota, Daimler AG (Mercedes-Benz), Ford, and Volkswagen, plus the bigger sound vendors who do aftermarket likewise as integrated new-car audio/video such equally Sony, Pioneer and JVC-Kenwood; plus GPS giant Garmin and graphics giant Nvidia, all working difficult to expand their new-car head-unit business. Most of the big auto suppliers were exterior in freestanding temporary buildings, including Delphi, Mobileye, Valeo, and Visteon. Bosch was elsewhere inside the LVCC'south Primal Hall, since 40% of its business is consumer electronics and power tools.

The automotive difference between CES in Las Vegas and NAIAS (Northward American International Auto Show) is this: CES focuses on the future of the automobile, plus directions being taken by the major component suppliers. Information technology is not open to the public, although the estimated 175,000 attendees all buy cars. In dissimilarity, the Detroit show focuses on complete cars on sale now or shortly, plus concept cars to whet the public'due south appetite for when the concepts become real products in three months to three years. The three Detroit prove press days generate all the ink, but the calendar week-plus of public shows is what matters to the automakers and dealers.