CES 2026 will probably be my 18th time heading to Las Vegas to cowl all the vehicles and automotive know-how on the world’s largest tech present. In spite of everything this time, getting into that conference middle nonetheless appears like getting into the long run, and this 12 months must be no exception. Whereas the annual Client Electronics Present in January is certain to be stuffed with surprises, my years of expertise masking the techiest corners of the automotive business have given me a great deal of perception into the massive present.
Learn extra:Â CNET Is Choosing the Best of CES 2026 Awards
At my first CES, automotive tech was principally aftermarket automotive audio tools and transportable GPS units. Then in 2011, Ford unveiled its all-electric Ford Focus, kicking off an explosive decade of automotive debuts at CES. Increasingly more automakers introduced their greatest high-tech idea vehicles and new mannequin debuts to the present and dominating North Corridor on the Las Vegas Conference Heart.
Publish-pandemic, I’ve seen these conventional automakers largely shifting away from massive automobile debuts and refocusing their CES efforts on detailing the cutting-edge applied sciences inside and round their vehicles, like infotainment, autonomous driving and sensible infrastructure. This shift has opened up new area (figuratively and actually) on the present for automotive outsiders, startups and mobility newcomers to thrive, and I’ve seen CES trending during the last 5 years towards thrilling improvements in automotive synthetic intelligence, EV startups, new robotics and air mobility ideas.Â
Primarily based on the traits I’m seeing in mobility know-how this 12 months and almost twenty years of expertise masking the automotive business, listed below are my finest predictions for what mobility and automotive tech traits we’ll see this 12 months at CES 2026, from flying vehicles to pondering vehicles to vehicles that transfer in methods we’ve by no means seen earlier than.
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My auto-tech predictions for CES 2026
- Extra flying automotive ideas than ever earlier than, with at the least one firm saying an precise roadmap to public air taxi flights.
- Improved conversational AI contained in the automotive that is in a position to deal with extra advanced and predictive duties.
- Modest enhancements in autonomous driving software program and the {hardware} that powers it.
- Extra insane robotic automotive ideas that discover shifting in new methods.Â
Rise of the ‘flying vehicles’
At this level, it is principally a on condition that there will probably be at the least one “flying automotive” showcased at CES 2026. Over the past decade, I’ve seen all of it — from startups trying to take ridesharing to the sky to established automakers experimenting with electrical plane ideas. In 2024, the massive information was Hyundai’s air mobility wing, Supernal, debuting its flight-ready electric air taxi. The spotlight of the 2025 present was Xpeng Land Provider, a plug-in hybrid SUV from Chinese language automaker XPeng AeroHT that would deploy a small electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft from its trunk.
There is a purpose I put these citation marks round “flying vehicles.” A lot of the ideas we have seen to date aren’t, in my view, truly vehicles. I’ve seen a whole lot of air taxis — eVTOL plane billed as quieter, reasonably priced and eco-friendly options to helicopters — however these require a pilot’s license and air site visitors management. Finally, builders count on these aerial shuttles to be autonomously piloted. The remainder of the ideas are ultralight electrical plane that do not require a pilot’s license, however (at the least, right here within the US) cannot be flown over populated areas. They’re primarily massive drones that you would be able to sit in for brief leisure flights. Neither kind suits my Jetsons-style definition of a private flying automotive that I can fly or drive from my driveway to the workplace.
Semantics apart, eVTOL developments have been coming quick and livid this 12 months. Final March, Alef Aeronautics demonstrated a literal flying automotive. The Model Zero Ultralight was proven first driving on a street after which lifting off to fly over one other stopped automobile. The prototype seems to make important roadworthiness (and maybe crash-worthiness) compromises to realize the ability of flight, however Alef is accepting preorders on the $300,000 flying automotive. Only a few weeks in the past, the appropriately named Jetson air mobility firm launched a video racing its Jetson One eVTOL. That is simply the tip of the iceberg; these are thrilling instances for followers of electrical aviation.
Final 12 months, Xpeng AeroHT stole the present with a hybrid SUV that would deploy an ultralight eVTOL craft from its trunk.
Flying automotive ideas: What to anticipate at CES 2026
I count on there to be extra eVTOL ideas and prototypes at CES 2026 than ever earlier than. Essentially the most concrete information for city People will seemingly pertain to air taxis and electrical air shuttles, however I imagine we’ll see various ultralight private plane and extra true road-to-air ideas that stick nearer to the pure definition of a flying automotive that you would be able to drive on the street (most certainly from daring Chinese language automakers like XPeng AeroHT).
Along with the automobiles themselves, I count on there will probably be a whole lot of discuss concerning the infrastructure and assist techniques that can energy networks of city air taxis. Just lately, Archer Aviation introduced that it will purchase Hawthorne Airport in Los Angeles as a “strategic air taxi community hub and AI testbed.” CES can be an ideal alternative for Archer and different gamers within the city air mobility area to announce partnerships with airways, cities and airports, plans for air site visitors management, or (hopefully) a roadmap heading towards public flights.
An AI good friend in your dashboard
About the one CES automotive prediction extra sure than vehicles that fly are vehicles that assume. Final 12 months, we noticed synthetic intelligence and enormous language fashions working their method into every part from telephones and PCs to refrigerators, robo-vacuums and vehicles.Â
Final 12 months, Volkswagen introduced a partnership with Cerence to bring ChatGPT to the dashboard of its vehicles and electrical SUVs, which I used to be in a position to try out at the show. In the meantime, Honda’s 0 concepts promised an AI future the place your automotive is your finest good friend, studying your preferences and predicting your wants. (The place have I heard that before?)
Mercedes-Benz introduced a wild plan to convey IMAX films to the dashboard of its automobiles, information that was overshadowed by new partnerships with Google and Microsoft to energy its MBUX AI voice assistant. Since CES, I’ve frolicked on the street with Benz’s AI assistant, and it was hands-down the very best, most pure voice command expertise I’ve ever used, so I’ve excessive hopes for a way this know-how can develop, if carried out accurately.
Volkswagen received an early begin including AI to its dashboards at CES 2025, however its rivals have since made main leaps as properly.
Conversational AI in vehicles: What to anticipate at CES 2026
Automakers and software program firms present no signal of lifting the automotive AI accelerator, so I count on to see much more deeply built-in automotive AI coming at CES 2026. The most secure guess is on extra AI voice assistants; extra automakers will announce that they are bringing LLMs like ChatGPT or Google Gemini to automobiles within the very close to future. It is the simplest approach to be a part of the AI social gathering with probably the most observable “what’s in it for me” for shoppers, enabling drivers to transcend easy hands-free calls and voice instructions to advanced voice-based duties with pure, conversational language.
Nevertheless, I am anticipating extra distinctive functions of AI tech as software program builders and automakers try to face out from the voice assistant crowd. Anticipate to see AI extra deeply built-in into the core software program stack of automobiles at CES, enabling drivers to work together with extra than simply their automotive’s infotainment show. How a couple of automotive that makes use of AI to self-diagnose and may advocate upkeep based mostly on precise circumstances somewhat than simply prescribed mileage? That is not probably the most thrilling instance, however the sky is the restrict (for higher or worse) as vehicles turn into extra software-defined.
Autonomous and robotic vehicles
Let’s additionally not overlook that AI software program powers extra superior security techniques and autonomous driving. CES’ West Corridor will probably be chock-a-block with self-driving vehicles, driver help applied sciences, and the {hardware} and software program that energy them.Â
Final 12 months, we received a peek on the subsequent technology of Waymo’s autonomous taxis based mostly on the Hyundai Ioniq 5 robotaxi and Zeekr RT, in addition to an up to date roadmap of cities the place the driverless ride-hailing service is rolling out. Along with passenger vehicles, John Deere confirmed off its second-generation self-driving tractor. The present flooring additionally overflowed with demonstrations of lidar tech, next-generation machine imaginative and prescient {hardware}, ever more powerful automotive computing platforms with AI-crunching silicon, and far more.
Maybe my favourite demonstration of what is attainable when car and robotics collide is the Hyundai-Mobis Mobion concept from CES 2024. This electrical hatchback took the idea of four-wheel steering to the following stage with the power to articulate every wheel as much as 90 levels to tug off wild spins and lateral motion for the simplest U-turns and parallel parking you’ve got ever seen.Â
Autonomous driving: What to anticipate at CES 2026
The present state of self-driving vehicles is an attention-grabbing one. The {hardware} required to make it occur is pretty mature, so count on to see modest enhancements in radar, digital camera, sonar and lidar-sensing know-how that promise to be smaller, extra dependable and extra reasonably priced.
The most important leaps remaining are within the software program powering the tech and the infrastructure, rules and governance surrounding the automobile — all of that are tougher to showcase in a commerce present sales space. I count on which means my colleagues and I will probably be spending a little bit of time outdoors of the LVCC, hopefully taking rides within the subsequent technology of autonomous vehicles and robotic taxis, in addition to trying out new driver help options and automotive person interfaces.
I am most excited concerning the potential for robotic mobility outdoors of the automotive. I am speaking about autonomous supply robots, electric go-karts, self-balancing motorcycles and crazy alternative mobility concepts. Not too way back, Hyundai Mobis showcased a wild walking vehicle that appeared like one thing straight out of Star Wars; it is a longshot, however I might like to see what insane modes of transportation firms provide you with subsequent at CES 2026.
