Consumer Electronics Show 2017 report

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held every year in January in Las Vegas, USA, may be the place for consumer technology companies to show their latest, but it’s grown to be a crucial event for many carmakers and automotive component makers too. The 2017 show has seen participation from a large number of such companies and everything from fully autonomous cars to voice activated control systems have been shown. Here is a round-up of some of the automobile-related tech on display from companies.

BMW

BMW has brought a cockpit concept to the show, depicting the brand’s interpretation of the future of its cabin design. Dubbed the ‘i Inside Future’, the concept focuses on minimalism and features technological advances from the automaker in in-car technology, including a HoloActive Touch system that could replace the current iDrive system. BMW says that, by using reflections, the tech can create a 'free-floating display' which is operated by finger gestures and gives tactile feedback to the driver to confirm the inputs.

Faraday Future

The all-electric start-up, which had previously used the CES to showcase an all-electric hypercar concept, used this year’s show to debut its first production-ready model, the FF 91 (nine one) – a car larger than a Mercedes S-class. A Tesla-topping power output of 783kW (about 1,050hp), 608km-claimed range and 2.39sec 0-100kph time which will beat just about anything else on four wheels are just some of the standout features. The car is slated to start production in 2018, though there are reports the Chinese-backed company is in financial trouble.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

FCA has revealed an electric van concept under the Chrysler badge at CES 2017. The electric and autonomous concept, called Portal, is heavily biased towards 'millennials' and places a large focus upon the interior space's response to autonomy, with flexibility and comfort placed high on the list of priorities.