Everyone loves model cars. Sure, a lot of people like to say concept cars are pointless design exercises, statements of excess, and demonstrations of technologies that will never make it to production. But even these people, when they have finished proselytizing, stand there admiring any strange creature slowly spinning on the revolving door. in Consumer Electronics Show 20223 in Las VegasWe got three huge concept cars—proof that CES is now the hottest car show on the calendar.
Right: Two of the CES test cars had very unfortunate names, and one was a reboot. However, the quality of those flights of fancy made it abundantly clear that CES is destined to stay ahead of the automobile. With this annoying Detroit Auto Show right Now Well out of the way reallyCES is clearly the biggest auto show in January, and there’s little reason to doubt it’ll be the biggest show of the year, too.
I’ve been attending CES since 2006. I was there when Ford became the first major manufacturer to debut a production car at CES, introducing Fox Electric in 2011. Despite that, I’ve never come out of a Vegas show so excited about the future of cars.
Of the three concepts, the y-concept was the lowest Afeela, from Sony Honda Mobility. This was also the CES car with the smartest names, though BMW would give it a run for its money. This first iteration of Afeela is an evolution of the vision s Which blew everyone’s minds at CES 2020. The flavor of 2023 is more frosty in the design front than the old flavor. Okay, I’ll stop mincing words: It’s pretty boring to look at, and it’s a fact that no amount of width in the fenders can change. However, you can’t help but think what a car from Sony could be like.
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The real shame is how long we’ll have to wonder about that. Sony says we won’t see a proper production car for another three years. Given how things are moving right now in the industry, that seems like a long time to wait.
The other great concept with a maybe not so great name is BMW’s i Vision Dee. Here, “Dee” refers to the digital emotional experience, but I couldn’t help but think someone on the Bavarian marketing team was Listen to Wet Leg Before calling a brainstorming meeting. No matter what we call this rose, its color-changing fenders were just too sweet.
I’ve seen great demos of E Ink displays at CES for over a decade, everything from cereal boxes to wallpaper, and this one was by far the best. To see the car flash from a bright yellow to a more traditional white with racing red and blue stripes, you just have to get your creative juices flowing. I think we’re a long way from this getting to production, but once that happens, it’s going to be a revolution.
The last major concept was Ram 1500 Revolution, which if anything bears the worst name of the three concept cars on offer. It’s hard to call the electric pickup truck “revolutionary” when it comes to the market after years of competition stronghold And Chevrolet. Still, it looked pretty good, and I’m sure it’ll be great when it hits dealers sometime in 2024.
Even the non-concept car that debuted at CES was pretty impressive. VW’s all electric ID. 7 It promises a range of up to 700 km. Keep in mind, this is the European WLTP course, so you can narrow that down considerably for the EPA rating when it comes here. But, that should mean more than 350 miles for what should be a comfortable, practical, and affordable electric sedan. Best of all, it goes into production this year.
2023 was a great CES, which is a huge contrast to what we’ve seen at any other auto show in recent years. While I absolutely hate the logistical mess of trying to cover this sprawling and disorganized show as a journalist, I couldn’t help but be excited about the future that was on display at this year’s CES. When was the last time I made you feel like this?