Not too long ago, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was a tough sell for automotive enthusiasts. CES has always been about cutting-edge technology and up until a few years ago, cars weren’t that high-tech enough to be showcased at a tech show. These days, cars are some of the most high-tech products on sale, which makes CES more exciting than ever for car enthusiasts.
Despite the ongoing pandemic and concerns over the new omicron variant, CES was in full swing at the beginning of the year. With multiple auto shows being canceled in 2021, seeing all of the automotive-related technology and vehicles at CES 2022 was a nice change of pace.
There was a lot of automotive stuff at this year’s CES, but we’ve narrowed down our list of favorites to nine options along with a quick rundown on why they stood out.
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Cadillac InnerSpace Concept
Cadillac has really switched gears from its luxurious beginnings. The American automaker builds awesome V8 engines, high-performance sedans, and, of course, an ultra-plush SUV. The InnerSpace concept that the automaker revealed at CES is clearly inspired by Cadillacs of old. It’s as long as a boat, elegantly designed, and only seats two people in five-star luxury. While its design may be inspired by old Cadillacs, the InnerSpace concept features General Motors’ Ultium platform, is fully autonomous, and has a giant screen that’s as big as some televisions.
Chevrolet Silverado EV
Rivian beat everyone to the electric pickup scene with the R1T, and GMC followed shortly after with the Hummer EV Pickup. Even Ford is late to the party with the F-150 Lightning, as the pickup will arrive this spring. Chevrolet is well behind schedule, but it’s certainly looking to make a splash with the Silverado EV.
Chevrolet’s electric truck won’t be arriving until 2023, but it’s hard to not get excited about the vehicle. In its RST First Edition guise that starts at $105,000, the Silverado EV will produce 664 horsepower and 780 pound-feet of torque. The truck will be able to tow up to 10,000 pounds and has 10 outlets in the bed with 10.2 kW of power to dole out to equipment. Super Cruise, which is GM’s nifty hands-free driver-assist system, will be included with the pickup, as is a 17-inch infotainment system.
Chrysler Airflow Concept
If it weren’t for the Chrysler Pacifica, the storied automaker would be a dead log. Chrysler only has three vehicles on sale and two of them have Pacifica badges. The other vehicle is the outdated 300. Chrysler knows it needs to do something to stay relevant, which is why it used CES to announce that it will become an all-electric brand by 2028.
As a teaser of things to come, Chrysler unveiled the Airflow concept at CES. The concept shares a name with the Airflow that Chrysler sold in the ‘30s, but features a modern design, cutting-edge technology, and Level 3 autonomy. The vehicle at the show has two 150-kW electric motors for a combined output of 400 horsepower and should be able to travel up to 400 miles on a single charge. Chrysler also claims the Airflow concept will come with the automaker’s STLA AutoDrive Level 3 driver-assist system and eight separate displays.
Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX
One of the biggest issues with electric cars is range. The majority of electric cars hover around the 250-mile mark when it comes to range, which can be tough for a lot of consumers that don’t want to deal with range anxiety. Mercedes-Benz set out to prove that electric
BMW iX M60
At the moment, Tesla is the only brand that has a large high-performance SUV on the market with the Model X. With the BMW iX M60, the German automaker is here to weigh on Tesla’s parade. The M60 is the high-performance version of the iX. It uses the same 111.5-kWh battery pack and dual electric motor configuration as the iX, but is tuned to make up to 610 horsepower and 811 pound-feet of torque. These figures are good enough for a zero-to-60 mph time of 3.6 seconds. The range takes a hit at roughly 280 miles and pricing for the iX M60 starts at $106,095, but it’s a bold, all-electric SUV from a brand that knows performance.
BMW iX Flow Featuring E_Ink
In addition to the fast BMW iX M60, BMW also brought the iX Flow Featuring E_Ink to CES. It’s a confusing name, but it hints at the SUV’s superpowers: it can change colors. This SUV has color-changing paint (well, it’s actually more of a wrap) that can turn the entire SUV from white to black and all shades in between when the surface gets an electrical stimulation. Beyond being really cool and letting you live out your spy fantasies, the E_Ink wrap can increase efficiency. During hot days, the SUV can turn white to stay cooler, while it can go dark on cold days. At the moment, E_Ink technology is just like the stuff used in e-reader tablets. In the future, it’s possible that BMW could bring more colors to the E_Ink wrap.
Bugatti Electric Scooter
Unless you win the lottery, there’s a good chance you’ll never own a Bugatti. There’s a slim chance that you’ll ever see one in real life, either, but we’re getting kind of bleak. If you want to own a Bugatti that’s not a car, the automaker just came out with an electric scooter. This one tips the scales at 35 pounds, has a top speed of 18.5 mph, and has a range of roughly 22 miles. No, it’s not a Bolide and this won’t make you a TikTok star, but you can tell people that you own a Bugatti and pass a polygraph.
Sony Vision-S 02 SUV
The electric revolution has allowed companies like Sony, yes the one that makes the PS5 that no one can find at a reasonable price, to look into entering the automotive segment. Sony has been quiet since it unveiled its Vision-S 01 sedan in 2019, but the tech giant is back with a new electric concept. This time, it’s called the Vision-S 02 and it’s a midsize SUV that can seat up to seven people. The SUV has two electric motors that can make up to 536 horsepower and can be fitted with Level 2 semi-autonomous technology.
In addition to the new Vision-S 02, Sony also came out with a new Sony Mobility division that will focus on the production of electric vehicles. So the Vision-S 02 and Vision-S 01 sedan could go on sale in the new future.
Damon HyperFighter
While electric cars and pickup trucks garnered a lot of attention at CES, Damon used the venue to showcase its second electric motorcycle called the HyperFighter. The motorcycle’s most potent configuration is called the Colossus and features 200 horsepower, a top speed of 170 mph, and a zero-to-60 mph time of 3.0 seconds. The trim also includes Ohlins suspension, Brembo brakes, and carbon-fiber bodywork. Range for the HyperFighter Colossus maxes out at 146 miles. The HyperFighter is a great following act to Damon’s HyperSport superbike.
