Computers, TVs, drones, “smart” appliances, digital cameras. If those are the things you think of when someone mentions “consumer electronics,” you’re not alone. But you should add automobiles to the list as, these days, they’re starting to look more like smartphones on wheels. Indeed, high-tech “mobility” is one of the big topics at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. To get a sense of what we can expect at CES 2025, Headlight.News spoke to Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, the trade group sponsoring the annual event.
Gary Shapiro is CEO of the Consumer Technology Assoc., the trade group sponsoring CES 2025.
It’s the biggest show in a city of big events. Nearly 140,000 people attended the Consumer Electronics Show last year and all signs suggest there’ll be an even bigger turnout for CES 2025. In today’s digital world there’s something for everyone, from 10k TVs to the latest drones, smartphones and connected home technology.
But, over the past decade, CES has become one of the most significant car shows in the world, as well. Automakers have turned to the Las Vegas event to preview products like the Chevrolet Bolt EV, and the Mercedes-Benz Avatar concept, while also showing off the latest in autonomous and connected car technologies.
CES 2025 will be no exception, with presentation by automakers including Toyota, BMW and Scout. Honda will show off updated versions of the EV concepts it rolled out last year, as well as the Afeela electric vehicle it’s developing in partnership with Sony.
To get a feel for the increasingly high-tech automotive world showing up in Las Vegas this year, Headlight.News Editor Paul A. Eisenstein spoke to Gary Shapiro, the long-time CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, the trade group that sponsors CES.
The new Afeela brand will get its own stand at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show.
Headlight.News: I’ve been coming to CES since the 1980s when it was all about hi-fi sound and TVs. In recent years, autos have gone from having a minor presence to taking up a significant portion of the show.
Gary Shapiro: Mobility takes up the entire West Hall and part of various other halls. CES displays the entire ecosystem, not just the car companies – starting with the (silicon) chips and moving all the way up to other things. It certainly reflects the change in what the automobile has become.
HLN: I remember my very first car, a used 1962 Chevy, and it actually had a tube radio in it. Now, it seems that cars and becoming computers on wheels.
Shapiro: Absolutely. It started out with the aftermarket products. But then Ford was first to have a presence, (with its Sync infotainment system) in 2007. And we call it “mobility” now because we include boats, things that fly around, and scooters, as well as companies like Oshkosh, which makes ambulances and other government vehicles. We have John Deere and Caterpillar….even farm equipment now has substantial technology onboard.
The Mercedes-Benz Avatar concept debuted at CES 2020.
HLN: CES has become a popular place to reveal new battery-electric models. But you also had drones and flying cabs last year.
Shapiro: We have electric vehicles, (the new) Scout brand is here for the first time, along with traditional car companies. We have a keynote by Volvo (Trucks). You’ll see vehicles for land, air and water and you can count the Tesla tunnel underground.
(ED: Tesla now operates an underground tunnel system, the Las Vegas Convention Center Loop allowing visitors to connect between five stations around the city’s convention facility.)
HLN: What might be the biggest change folks curious about high-tech mobility might see this year that they wouldn’t have, pre-pandemic?
Vietnam’s VinFast showed off an assortment of concepts and future products at CES 2024.
Shapiro: I would say it’s the non-traditional vehicles for things like agriculture and boating, as well as a whole bunch of new (EV) companies, like Scout. Tesla proved it can be done and other companies are trying to replicate its success. You’ll find a bunch of new things at the Innovation Center.
HLN: We’ve been hearing more and more about cybersecurity in recent years as hackers get more sophisticated – and dangerous. It’s been an issue for phones and computers but it appears to be of growing importance in the mobiliy world, as well.
Shapiro: Well, cybersecurity is a big issue for the whole world. As you get better mousetraps you get smarter mice.
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