CES 2022 in Las Vegas: The Show must go on

As a purely online event, the CES of 2021 became a tired number and that shouldn’t happen again. Event director Gary Shapiro and his team fought like the lions that the online number from last year would not repeat itself – they should be right. Nevertheless, due to the pandemic, a number of companies dropped out on a daily basis and some car manufacturers in particular got tails. This time the aisles are not even half as full with visitors as usual and the halls and outdoor areas also show painful gaps. General Motors, under corporate CEO Mary Barra, was one of the first to give up in the desert and switch to its own online format. In particular to present its new Ultium electric platform, which is also used by the electric Chevrolet Silverado. The 510 to 664 PS strong Silverado EV will be launched on the market in the next year and a half, as will the GM models Hummer, Chevrolet Blazer and Equinox. In addition, a Cadillac luxury model should target the German premium competition in highly automated driving. That’s an announcement.

Mercedes had better luck, because the Swabians also withdrew from the major event in the Nevada desert, but had wisely planned the premiere of their electric aerodynamics endurance runner Vision EQXX for the eve of CES 2022 as a hybrid event – online and real . For most of them there was still online goods and the knowledge that a mid-range vehicle worth seeing could easily cover 1,000 kilometers without reloading thanks to high-tech, a drag coefficient of 0.17 and Formula 1 technology. According to Markus Schäfer, Board Member for Development at Daimler, the EQXX technology heralds the new compact electric class that will be available from 2024/2025. In addition to high-tech batteries and sustainable production, electrical ranges of 500 kilometers appear to be set. At the Consumer Electronic Show, BMW is only out and about with a small set of cutlery and, in addition to the large cinema screen for the rear of the upcoming luxury sevens, is showing a crazy BMW iX that can change its color. The sports version of the BMW iX M60, which has 619 hp and is also celebrating its premiere at the desert fair in bright sunshine, appears closer to reality.

While Daimler stayed away from the trade fair due to the pandemic, as did major suppliers, other brands are doing their best. The Vietnamese upstart Vinfast with the recently retired ex-CEO Michael Lohscheller is presenting five new electric crossovers under the new boss Le Thi Thu Thuy at the CES in Las Vegas. “Four of them should also come to Europe,” says CEO Le Thi Thu Thuy and, based on the Tesla model, is holding out the prospect of a new production facility in Germany for the next few years. The first Vinfast models will be made in Vietnam and will arrive in Europe at the end of the year. All Vinfast models are guaranteed for ten years or 125,000 miles / 200,000 kilometers. With Vinfast, the southern German automotive supplier ZF is bringing a level 3 autonomous driving system for cars onto the road that can be gradually scaled up. In addition, the Friedrichshafen-based company is relying on autonomous driving systems in shuttle and transport services. The “Transportation as a Service” division offers turnkey solutions for the planning, operation and implementation of an automated shuttle system that is supposed to relieve inner cities and connect them with rural areas. “ZF has the unique opportunity to shape the mobility of the next generation – and now,” says ZF CEO Wolf-Henning Scheider.

For the second time, Sony made a major appearance at the CES, also seen in an automobile. The study of the Sony Vision S 02 is a continuation of the electric model, which will also be presented at the CES for the first time in 2020. The 4.90 meter long crossover with slight references to Tesla, Nio and Co is powered by two electric motors that accelerate 400 kW / 544 PS and the 2.5-ton study to 100 km / h in less than five seconds. Whether the electric crossover, which was developed by Magna in Graz, will really come onto the market in the next few years and whether the electronics specialist Sony will become a part of the carmaker is not clear. Togg, the new car manufacturer from Turkey, is a long way ahead. “Our production will be completed by the end of 2022 and our first electric SUV will roll off the assembly line for the Turkish home market in the first quarter,” says brand boss Mehmet Gürcan Karakas, who has held responsible positions at Bosch for many years, “we are a technology brand In the field of mobility. Located on the bridge between East and West, where rationality meets emotionality, we create mobility solutions for a new world in which user-centered and data-focused thinking leads to the auto industry developing into a mobility ecosystem . “

For the first time with a big appearance at the CES: Stellantis with its brands. The French in the Spielerstadt not only give a glimpse of the driverless transport skateboard from Citroen, which can be equipped with a variable cabin attachment for local services, but also let visitors to the fair with the My Ami Pop dream of the urban mobility that in Europe has long since arrived. Only the Chrysler Airflow, of course a crossover and the first all-electric model, which is to roll to customers in 2025, gets more attention than the four-wheel Rubik’s Cube. From 2028 the US brand will be completely electric.

Auto supplier Bosch is presenting its so-called Tech Compass as a representative survey from various countries at CES 2022 in Las Vegas. According to the Bosch survey, 72 percent believe that technology will make the world a better place. As many as 83 percent are of the opinion that technical progress should be geared more towards solving social problems. “People want technology to solve the great challenges of our time and make everyday life easier in many areas,” says Bosch CEO Stefan Hartung. “The Bosch Tech Compass shows: People want technology to solve the great challenges of our time and makes everyday life easier in many areas. ” Western countries have high hopes for green technologies, Asia for artificial intelligence and the 5G data turbo. According to the survey, for example, more than a third of the Germans surveyed hope to be able to beam themselves according to the Startrek model. Well then – dreaming must be allowed. Especially in the pandemic and then in Vegas.