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Consumer Electronics Show 2026 This will be my 18th time heading to Las Vegas to cover all things cars and auto technology at the world’s largest tech show. After all this time, stepping into this convention center still feels like a step into the future, and this year should be no exception. While the annual Consumer Electronics Show in January is sure to be full of surprises, my years of experience covering the more technical aspects of the auto industry have given me a lot of knowledge about the big show.
Read more: CNET picks the best CES 2026 awards
At my first CES, automotive technology was mostly car audio equipment and portable GPS devices. Then in 2011, Ford unveiled its car All-electric Ford Focuskicking off an explosive decade of automobile debuts at CES. More and more automakers brought their biggest high-tech vehicles and new models for the first time to the show and took over the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center.
After the pandemic, I noticed that traditional automakers are largely moving away from big car debuts and refocusing their efforts at CES on detailing cutting-edge technologies. inside And around their cars, such as infotainment, autonomous driving, and smart infrastructure. This shift has opened up a new space (both figuratively and literally) at the show for startups, startups and mobility newcomers to flourish, and over the past five years I’ve seen CES trend toward exciting innovations in automotive AI, electric vehicle startups, new robotics and air mobility concepts.
Based on the trends I’m seeing in mobility technology this year and nearly two decades of experience covering the auto industry, here are my best predictions for the mobility and auto technology trends we’ll see this year at CES 2026, from flying cars to think cars to cars that move in ways we’ve never seen before.
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My predictions for automatic technology at CES 2026
- There are more flying car concepts than ever before, with at least one company announcing an actual roadmap for public air taxi flights.
- Improving in-car conversational AI so that it is able to handle more complex and predictive tasks.
- Modest improvements to self-driving software and the hardware that runs it.
- More crazy robotic car concepts that explore moving in new ways.
The rise of “flying cars”
At this point, it’s a given that at least one “flying car” will be shown off at CES 2026. Over the past decade, I’ve seen it all — from startups looking to… Take a sharing flight to heaven to Existing automobile manufacturers Experiment with electric aircraft concepts. In 2024, the big news was the debut of Hyundai’s air mobility wing, the Supernal. Electric air taxi ready to fly. The highlight of the 2025 show was the Xpeng Land Carrier, a plug-in hybrid SUV from Chinese automaker XPeng AeroHT that can Deploying a small electric aircraft for vertical take-off and landing From its trunk.
There’s a reason we put quotes around “flying cars.” In my opinion, most of the concepts we’ve seen so far aren’t actually cars. I’ve seen a lot of air taxis – eVTOL aircraft touted as quieter, more affordable and environmentally friendly alternatives to helicopters – but these require a pilot’s license and air traffic control. Eventually, developers expect these air shuttles to be piloted autonomously. The rest of the concepts are lightweight electric planes that do not require a pilot’s license, but (at least here in the United States) cannot be flown over populated areas. They are basically large drones that you can sit in for short recreational flights. Neither type fits my Jetsons-style definition of a personal flying car that I can fly or drive from my driveway to the office.
Semantics aside, eVTOL developments have come at a rapid pace this year. Last March, Alef Air demonstrated a literal flying car. the Zero light model He is first shown driving down the road and then taking off to fly over another parked vehicle. The prototype appears to make significant compromises on roadworthiness (and perhaps crashworthiness) to gain flying power, but Alef is accepting pre-orders for the $300,000 flying car. Just a few weeks ago, an air mobility company called Jetson released a video Jetson One eVTOL raced. This is just the tip of the iceberg; These are exciting times for fans of electric aviation.
Last year, Xpeng AeroHT stole the show with a hybrid SUV that can deploy a lightweight eVTOL aircraft from its trunk.
Flying car concepts: What to expect at CES 2026
I expect there will be more eVTOL concepts and prototypes at CES 2026 than ever before. The most concrete news for urban Americans will likely relate to air taxis and electric air buses, but I think we’ll see more than a few light personal aircraft and more true road-to-air concepts that stick closer to the pure definition of a flying car you can drive on the road (most likely from bold Chinese automakers like XPING AeroHT).
In addition to the vehicles themselves, I expect there will be a lot of talk about the infrastructure and support systems that will power urban air taxi networks. Recently, Archer Airlines announced that it would do so Buy Hawthorne Airport in Los Angeles As a “strategic hub for air taxi network and test platform for artificial intelligence.” CES will be a great opportunity for Archer and other players in urban air mobility to announce partnerships with airlines, cities, and airports, plans for air traffic control, or (hopefully) a roadmap toward public air travel.
An AI friend in your dashboard
About the Cars CES Prediction The only ones more certain than cars that fly are cars that think. In the past year, we’ve seen AI and large language models make their way into everything from phones and PCs to mobile devices Refrigerators, Robotic vacuums And cars.
Last year, Volkswagen announced a partnership with Cerence for Bring ChatGPT to your dashboard Of its cars and electric SUVs, which it has been able to do Try it at the show. Meanwhile, Honda concepts 0 We’re promised an AI future where your car is your best friend, learning your preferences and predicting your needs. (Where am I? I’ve heard that before?)
Mercedes-Benz has announced a wild plan to bring IMAX movies to the dashboard of its cars, news that has been overshadowed by new partnerships with Google and Microsoft to power its MBUX AI voice assistant. Since CES, I’ve spent time on the road with Benz’s AI Assistant, and it’s been the best and most natural voice command experience I’ve ever used, so I have high hopes for how this technology will develop, if implemented correctly.
Volkswagen got off to an early start adding AI to its dashboards at CES 2025, but its competitors have since made big leaps, too.
Conversational AI in cars: What to expect at CES 2026
Automakers and software companies show no sign of ramping up the pace of AI in cars, so I expect to see more integrated AI in cars coming at CES 2026. The safest bet is more AI-driven voice assistants; More automakers will announce that they are bringing LLM certifications like ChatGPT or Google Gemini to vehicles in the very near future. It’s the easiest way to join the AI mix with “what’s good for me” for consumers, enabling drivers to go beyond simple hands-free voice calls and commands to complex voice tasks using natural conversational language.
However, I expect more unique applications of AI technology as software developers and automakers seek to stand out from the crowd of voice assistants. We’re expected to see AI integrated deeper into the vehicles’ core software suite at CES, enabling drivers to interact with more than just their car’s infotainment display. What about a car that uses AI to self-diagnose and can recommend maintenance based on actual conditions rather than just specific mileage? This isn’t the most dramatic example, but the sky is the limit (for better or worse) as cars become more software-defined.
Self-driving and robotic cars
Let’s also not forget that AI programs are powering more advanced safety systems and autonomous driving. The West Hall at CES will be filled with self-driving cars, driver-assistance technologies, and the hardware and software that power them.
Last year, we got a sneak peek at the next generation of Waymo self-driving taxis Based on Hyundai Ioniq 5 Robotaxi and Zeekr RT, as well as an updated roadmap of cities where driverless ride-hailing is being rolled out. In addition to passenger cars, John Deere demonstrated its capabilities The second generation of self-driving tractors. The exhibition hall was also filled with demonstrations of lidar technology, next-generation machine vision devices, The most powerful automotive computing platforms ever With AI-powered silicon, and more.
Probably my favorite demonstration of what’s possible when cars and robots collide is Hyundai-Mobius Concept From CES 2024. This electric hatchback took the concept of four-wheel steering to the next level with the ability to articulate each wheel up to 90 degrees to pull off wild turns and lateral movement for the smoothest U-turns and parallel parking you’ve ever seen.
Autonomous driving: what to expect at CES 2026
The current state of self-driving cars is interesting. The hardware required to achieve this is fairly mature, so we expect to see modest improvements in radar, camera, sonar and lidar sensing technology that promise to be smaller, more reliable and more affordable.
The biggest remaining leaps are in the software that runs the technology and the infrastructure, regulations and governance surrounding the vehicle – all of which are much more difficult to showcase in a trade show booth. I expect this will mean that my colleagues and I will spend some time outside of LVCC, hopefully taking tours of the next generation of self-driving cars and robotaxis, as well as checking out new driver-assistance features and car user interfaces.
I’m very excited about the possibility of automated mobility outside of the car. I’m talking about autonomous delivery robots, Electric carts, Self-balancing motorcycles and Crazy alternative mobility concepts. Not long ago, Hyundai offered Mobis A Wild walking vehicle It looked like something straight out of Star Wars; It’s a long shot, but I’d love to see what crazy ways carriers will come up with at CES 2026.