CES 2025 - Shifting from Electronics to Experiences
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2025
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Let me explain my key insights into this year’s CES Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Here, the amazing real-time rendered fantasy world shown in Jensen Huang’s Nvidia keynote set the tone for CES 2025. Last year, AI was the “next big thing” everyone was talking about. This year, the focus shifted to its practical applications across industries. In media and consumer electronics, AI-empowered devices have become ubiquitous. In healthcare and home wellbeing, AI-enabled gadgets are everywhere. However, in industrial manufacturing, where robotics play a critical role, progress appears slower. As Nvidia’s Jensen Huang noted, before we enter the physical AI era, we must first master generative AI (able to create content) and agentic AI (able to execute tasks). Yes, physical products played a role at the event, but many leading brands put immersive experiences at the center of their exhibits to showcase their innovation power. Sony captured my attention by demonstrating with XYN how real-world objects and character movements could be transformed within minutes into 3D computer graphics and full movie sequences, complete with sound and landscapes. Nikon drew crowds with its photo studio, where visitors could get award-winning portraits taken using the new Nikon Z50II. Samsung, meanwhile, highlighted its digital art store, displaying art on intentionally unlabeled TVs.

The Mobility Ecosystem at CES 2025

Where does this leave the automotive and mobility sectors?

1. In times of economic pressures and geopolitical dynamics only a handful of OEMs attended CES (BMW, Honda, Zeekr, Great Wall, Xpeng). BMW stood out as the only Western OEM with a major announcement—its Panoramic iDrive, which integrates the steering wheel, central display, 3D head-up display, and an ultra-wide panoramic screen into a fully customizable, driver-focused experience. This innovation will debut in the BMW ‘Neue Klasse’ later this year. The AI-Powered, Software-Defined Vehicle concept is well understood across the industry, but achieving this vision remains challenging. During a PwC panel with leaders from Aptiv, Valeo, NXP, and Google, the need for stronger multi-stakeholder collaboration was highlighted.

2. Waymo’s deployment and scale-up of its autonomous vehicle fleet in Los Angeles and San Francisco with over 500 Jaguar vehicles per city, marked a breakthrough moment for L4 autonomous driving last year. At CES, Waymo showcased two new models, the Zeekr RT and Hyundai IONIQ5, both with reduced sensors to lower costs. Zoox also made waves with its sleek, purpose-built 4-seater, slated for public use in Las Vegas by late 2025. In Europe, however, regulatory compliance and reliable operations remain barriers, as discussed in a PwC panel featuring Mobileye, Vay, Apollo, and Ruter.

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3. Tier-1 and Chip Suppliers like Valeo, Continental, Aptiv, and NXP maintained a strong presence, showcasing innovations such as advanced sensor kits and remote parking solutions. Notable advancements included Bosch’s fleet service and vehicle health suite and Aptiv’s digital twin solution for supply chain resilience. However, commercializing these services remains a challenge.

4. Among the Hyperscalers, Amazon stood out with its push into downstream and retail operations through Amazon Auto, enabling Hyundai to sell vehicles directly on Amazon in the U.S. Google and Microsoft seemed less prominent this year.
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5. Discussions around E-Mobility and Micro-Mobility were less dominant this year. While all presented vehicles were electric, OEMs did not make a fuzz about it – maybe this marks the beginning of a new Zeitgeist where electric powertrains are a given. In the heavy-duty space this is a different story and so the electric firetruck from Pierce Manufacturing grabbed quite some attention. In the micro-mobility sector, Bytech offered a creative touch with scooters branded for BMW, Jeep, and Bugatti, though groundbreaking innovations were scarce.

Overall, CES 2025 felt less glamorous than in previous years. The vibrant Eureka campus, filled with thousands of tech startups, offered glimpses of groundbreaking ideas—like Artha’s navigation system for blind people, which uses tactile feedback to indicate obstacles; or the electric salt spoon from Kitrin Holding that increases the taste of salt with an electric current. However, the event atmosphere reflected a tech sector in transition, where people realize that moving toward a fully AI-enabled, digital and physical world, will still take some time.

Images Copyright: Jonas Seyfferth

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