Las Vegas — While CES 2024 is not technically an auto show, you might think it looks like one. The automotive industry takes up a giant section of the shows footprint.
Honda showed off two new concept vehicles: the Space-Hub and the Saloon. The Japanese automaker announced it will launch the “Honda 0 Series” beginning in 2026.
The Saloon is the flagship concept model of the Honda 0 series. It embodies the new thin, light and wise approach. The saloon features a low height and sporty styling. On the inside is an instrument panel with a human-machine interface for a seamless user interface.
Meanwhile, the Space-Hub was developed under the theme of “augmenting people’s daily lives.” It offers a flexible space that accommodates what users want to do and becomes a hub that connects people to people and society.
Mullen introduced its Five RS high-performance sporty crossover EV at CES 2024. It comes equipped with a 100-kWh battery pack and a two-speed gearbox. The Five RS will achieve more than 1,000 horsepower and a top speed of over 200 mph. For those who are wondering, that is a 0 to 60 mph of less than 2 seconds. Pricing will start just under $300,000.
Mercedes-Benz unveiled the North American premiere of the Concept CLA Class vehicle. It displays the forthcoming Mercedes-Benz modular architecture and new in-car music experience called MBUX SOUND DRIVE. It comes with cool features such as Audible and Amazon music. The MBUX Virtual assistant transforms the car-driver relationship with AI and advanced 3D graphics.
The German automaker also showed off a camouflaged prototype of the new all-electric G-Class SUV. Not many details have been made available. However, Car and Driver expects it to debut later in 2024 as a 2025 model.
The Kia EV9 is the newly-crowned winner of the 2024 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year award. Both the SUV and the award were displayed at CES!
Meanwhile, KIA announced its new Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) business at CES. Three KIA PBV concept models are being displayed on the show floor inside West Hall. Companies will be able to purchase these vehicles and have them wrapped with their logos. Some of these new PBV vehicles will be offered with autonomous driving capabilities.
KIA plans to kick-off its new business vehicles with the PV5 first. It is described as a versatile EV for hailing, delivery and utilities. Then, KIA will introduce the PV7 which is the largest PBV vehicle it will offer in this new-lineup. Then, the smaller PV1 will be released shortly thereafter.
Hyundai MOBIS debuted their MOBION electric vehicle with its next generation e-corner system motion technology. It enables the car to make sideways and diagonal motion as well as pivot turns. Wow! Each of the four wheels are individually controlled.
Vietnamese automaker VinFast took the wraps off their new electric truck concept called the VF Wild. It is a midsize truck with a power-folding midgate to expand the bed length from 5 feet to 8 feet when the rear seats are folded down. The VF Wild also has a panoramic glass roof and digital side mirrors. No info on battery size or range were provided at CES.
Goodyear told me about their new EV tires for the Tesla Cybertruck and their new SightLine suite of tire intelligence technologies.
“This is one of the tires we have on the Tesla Cybertruck, it’s got in-built sensors like the TMPS assistant,” said Kanwar Singh, program manager of tire intelligence at Goodyear Tire & Rubber. “In this case, it’s mounted in the tire to provide information about the tire temperature and tire identification. All of this is essentially used for next generation advancements you can make on the vehicle chassis control systems.”
He also explained the SightLine suite: “We move onto tire wear where we are calculating and predicting what’s the remaining tread and also predicting what’s the remaining mileage. It’s almost like you’ve got a fuel gauge, now you’ve got a tire gauge. This is useful for customers because they can essentially anticipate when they need to change tires on the car. As a tire manufacturer, this is good for us because we know which customers need new tires. We can make sure we’ve got the correct inventory available at our dealerships.”
Mitsubishi Electric introduced me to FLEXConnect, powered by Blackberry, which introduces AI or artificial intelligence into vehicles. It’s all about improving safety with the use of sensors and cameras to anticipate safety risks, reduce driver distractions and enable new consumer experiences.
“This is FLEXConnect, our latest project at CES,” said Sana Jafri, lead UX architect at Mitsubishi Electric. “Our camera is capable of detecting seat belt, if you are drowsy, who’s sitting in the car, it’s doing facial recognition. If you wear the seat belt, it will become green. A lot of people but their seat belt behind themself instead of having it on, this way the camera can detect if it’s actually on or not. We have near infrared lasers in front of the car pointed down at the road and those are able to detect the weather condition of the road. If there’s ice on the road or snow on the road, if it is wet or dry, it is able to detect that, it is showing you the slip and grip levels on the road. With the lasers in front of the car, it can detect up to 50 meters in front of you.”
More than 600 exhibitors were on display inside the Las Vegas Convention Center from the automotive space including manufacturers, suppliers, start up companies and more!
Stay with AmericaJR for more coverage from CES 2024…
KIA Platinum Beyond Vehicle 
KIA PV7 concept vehicle 
Mercedes-Benz G-Class prototype 
VinFast VF wild electric truck 
Hyundai MOBION concept 
Honda Space-Hub concept 
Honda Saloon concept car 
The Mullen Five RS 