Features
12 jan 19

CES 2019 takeaways: Evolution of Mobility

Four key speakers discussed the evolution of mobility  and the future of the automotive industry during roundtable talks at the consumer electronics and technologies conference CES 2019 in Las Vegas (January 8-11) and here are some essential quotes. 

"There is a growing demand for ride-hailing and ride-sharing from the younger generation. However, for older individuals with families and for most of the United States, living in suburbs and owning cars are still quite important," Mercedes-Benz USA CASE (Connected, Autonomous, Shared, Electric) General Manager Heiko Schmidt said.

"The size of a car's infotainment screen and connectivity is becoming more of a differentiator than horsepower and torque," said Ford Motor Company research and advanced engineering director James Buczkowsky.

Byton launches M-Byte SUV at CES 2019 with 48-inch display screen (source: Byton)

Meanwhile, Cox Automotive Executive Publisher Karl Brauer said that autonomous vehicle (AV) demand has dropped to level 2 desirability from level 4 about a year ago, following negative press on AV accidents in 2018.

"Awareness of AV technology, however, is definitely up," he added.

Finally, "leasing cars via subscription service is a good way to seed new technologies such as electric vehicles. This gives users a way to test the market," said Clutch Technologies president Vince Zappa.

Top Photo: Evolution of Mobility discussion at CES 2019. From left to right: Karl Brauer, Heiko Schmidt, Vince Zapa, James Buczkowsky (source: Global Fleet)
Authored by: Daniel Bland