Apple CEO Steve Jobs once said: “Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity – not a threat.”
Innovation was definitely the name of the game at this year’s annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that I and my COO, John Currado attended.
CES, as it’s known, has become the world’s largest trade show and attracts thought leaders, pioneering inventors, and technology enthusiasts from all over the world.
With more than 4,500 exhibitors and 1,000 guest speakers, this year’s 182,000 attendees had no shortage of opportunities to take in the latest innovative technologies, in topics ranging from health and wellness, to sports, to block chain, to automotive.
Suffice to say, “Cars are still the stars” and the automotive OEM presence at CES was significant.
Honda, Mercedes, Hyundai, Kia, Audi, FCA and Ford all had substantial displays in the North Hall of the Convention Centre.
BMW impressed with a Drive Experience outside in a parking lot, setting up a makeshift building which rivaled any external structure out there.
Their presence really rivaled any auto show and though most of the OEMs only had a few cars, BMW had many for the test drives and the X7 obstacle course.
Autonomous driving was still the main focus, but with a recognition (by Honda) that it needs to evolve with a bigger focus on the analysis of human behaviour, cognitive learning and digesting and understanding intent with what people are trying to do when they are driving i.e. changing lanes, crossing the street etc.
What became abundantly clear to us is there is an overt growing fusion between automotive and technology.
While auto manufacturers have been focusing their energies on figuring out how to go toe to toe with the potential “next” generation of automakers — Google and Amazon, it was the likes of Pioneer that stopped us in our tracks.
Because while you might expect them to exhibit in the Electronics Hall, they were actually set up in the Automotive Hall — and had an autonomous vehicle on display. Yes, a vehicle. It looks like Pioneer is now playing in both the audio and automotive space. We believe others could follow suit; the players of tomorrow are changing because, as we know, every business is a now a technology business.
What became abundantly clear to us is there is an overt growing fusion between automotive and technology
There are some interesting insights we walked away with. For one, autonomous vehicles won’t solve gridlock. In fact, it might increase the volume of vehicles on the road.
Think about it; individuals who today are not able to get behind a wheel, for example the elderly or a physically challenged individual — will be able to have the vehicle do the driving for them.
What will solve gridlock is ride-sharing. In fact, according to Audi, “a 60 per cent autonomous vehicle world has little to no impact on improving traffic. Increasing vehicle occupancy from 1.1 to 1.3 completely eliminates all traffic issues.”
Some Toronto highways already have HOV lanes to benefit vehicles with multiple occupants, and other cities are following suit in order to combat congestion. What we learned is that city planners and urban designers need to take heed to ensure that this approach continues to be adopted in cities around the globe.
What also stood out to us at this year’s CES was a lack of focus on the retail experience. Realistically, that makes sense; exhibitors are there to impress attendees with their technology and perhaps would assume that vendors and distributors would design and implement a retail experience that would complement the level of the technology being offered.
Back in the day, vehicles were designed and built by engineers. In today and tomorrow’s market, however, technology will play a much larger role in the design and operation of the vehicle.
CES has become a disrupter in its own right, impacting the attendance of other auto shows and conferences. Attending CES will no doubt give you insights and information and a glimpse into what the future of automotive holds for us.
It’s our belief that, as leaders of a business in the automotive industry, knowing what’s coming is key to planning effectively today.
