REUTERS/Mike Segar
CES is conveniently scheduled between the first major US auto show of the season, in Los Angeles, and the big one in Detroit. And while LA and Motown are important, CES has been steadily demonstrating that it's where much of the real action is in the auto industry, especially as infotainment, connectivity, and new models of getting around emerge.
For a while, the auto industry resisted this. But over the past five years or so, and especially following CES last year, the traditional car makers have concluded that at a level they, too, are technology companies — and that as manufacturers of a hugely popular rolling technology platform, they should get much better at understanding what happens when you put "consumer" and "electronics" together and let Silicon Valley supercharge the undertaking.
For example, on Monday all eyes will be on Faraday Future, a secretive startup mobility company, based in California, that plans to reinvent how we get around and will pull the cover off a concept car.
Last year, Audi sent a self-driving car from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and BMW showcased an exotic autonomous vehicle that effectively did away with the front seat and indulged in some serious sci-fi styling.