A robot shows where the industry is heading

For a long time, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was a trade fair for televisions, games, consumer electronics and digital gadgets. Today, it is also a must-attend event for car managers: if you want to know where the industry is heading, there is no way around Las Vegas (USA). Unveiling new models? Hardly play a role these days. Instead, it's all about chips, software and sensors.

At CES 2026, the focus was once again not on vehicles, but on technologies. The question for car manufacturers and suppliers: what will prevail - and who will determine the rules of the game in the future? While traditional motor shows present production vehicles, Vegas was all about the basics. Tech companies, start-ups, suppliers and developers demonstrated systems and platforms that will often only arrive in vehicles or production processes in a few years' time.

Humanoid helper in the factory
Hyundai presented one such example. The company presented Atlas, the humanoid robot from its subsidiary Boston Dynamics - no longer just a research project, but a future component of production. At the factory in the US state of Georgia, Atlas is set to work regularly for the first time from 2028, initially in logistics: it picks up components, transports them and prepares them for assembly. From 2030, humanoid robots will take over assembly work. At the same time, Hyundai is building its own infrastructure for development and production, with the Group targeting a production capacity of up to 30,000 humanoid robots per year.

Atlas differs fundamentally from classic industrial robots. It is not tied to a fixed workstation, but moves independently through the plant, recognizes obstacles and makes targeted interventions. And it demonstrates where developments are heading: artificial intelligence (AI) that not only calculates, but also acts, runs and reacts. The technology behind it: AI models, sensor technology and autonomous control. Much of this comes from the development of autonomous driving and is now flowing back into production. The CES thus showed how closely vehicle technology, robotics and industrial automation are now linked. It has to: in China, production with the help of AI has long been standard.

The interior thinks for itself
However, it is not only the factory that is being rethought, but also the vehicle itself. The interior was one of the focal points of CES 2026, with supplier Aumovio presenting Surface Projection, a solution in which information is projected directly onto the cockpit surface - in other words, without traditional displays. Navigation instructions, warning messages or graphic elements appear across the entire width and adapt to the driving situation and surroundings.

Bosch focused on the driving experience. On show was an AI-supported cockpit that links infotainment, assistance and vehicle control more closely together. Central software controls the steering, brakes, drive and chassis so that the car moves more smoothly and evenly - with the aim of reducing motion sickness, among other things. In the interior, the system should actively think for itself: simple statements such as «I'm cold» can trigger several actions, from seat heating and temperature to ventilation, which already exists to some extent via the voice assistance in today's cars. Bosch board of management member Tanja Rückert spoke of an «intelligent companion» that recognizes the situation and needs of the occupants instead of just displaying information.

The limits of the model
ZF went in a similar direction. The supplier presented software-based solutions with which driving and rolling noise can be reduced in a targeted manner. Sensors record vibrations and algorithms calculate a counter-signal in real time. Comfort is no longer created by more technology, but by smarter software. For traditional suppliers such as ZF, this reveals a central pattern of the CES: familiar technical expertise is increasingly being supplemented by software.

The software-defined vehicle was omnipresent at the CES. Functions are no longer just installed ex works, but increasingly come as updates - often for an extra charge or as a subscription. Assistance systems, comfort functions or extended navigation can be activated at a later date. However, it also became clear where the limits of this model lie: customers only pay if the benefits are clearly recognizable. Digital functions without recognizable added value are increasingly met with scepticism.

Intermediate step instead of revolution
Where software delivers real added value is in autonomous driving. Clear progress was visible in Las Vegas: sensors record the environment more precisely, AI models make faster decisions, assistance systems take over more driving tasks - in passenger cars as well as in the commercial vehicle sector. However, the higher the level of automation, the more complex and expensive the technology becomes. Fully autonomous vehicles will remain a niche product for the time being: the reality is simply too complex, especially in the city, humans will remain at the wheel for the time being. At the same time, however, it became clear that individual applications are going into series production faster than long assumed. Mercedes announced an AI-based driving platform based on technology from Nvidia, which will initially be launched in the USA - in the CLA. Not yet an autonomy revolution, but learning, adaptive assistance systems in a production car.

Who determines the rules of the game
This also makes it clear who is setting the pace: Tech companies are supplying chips, computing power and AI models - and are thus increasingly shaping the architecture of modern vehicles. Car manufacturers and traditional suppliers are often only acting as users instead of controlling the central technologies themselves. This shift has economic consequences. Investments in electromobility, software and artificial intelligence are high, while price pressure continues to increase. Digitalization must therefore also reduce costs, otherwise it will become a burden instead of a competitive advantage.