Mobility and technology are blurring together, at least in the visions and aspirations of manufacturers who want to leverage our reliance on the latter. As a result, CES contains more and more car content, with everything from concepts to advances in interior styling and interfaces attracting showgoers.
In addition to debuts like the Lightship AE.1 Cosmos Edition, XPeng’s eccentric six-wheeled ‘Land Aircraft Carrier’, and Pininfarina’s trio of RVs for AC Future, we’ve scoured the myriad launches and leads at CES 2025 to present our selection of the nine most notably mobility-themed novelties.
1. Italdesign Quintessenza Concept
The Quintessenza from Italdesign has a hint of the Seventies about it. The late Giorgetto Giugiaro’s design agency is opening a new Stateside studio near Detroit and to celebrate, the Quintessenza is a fresh take on that very American form factor, the pick-up truck. The long, wedgy EV features a sliding rear luggage cover that transforms it from a GT car to an open bed load carrier.
Italdesign.it, @Italdesign_official
2. SHM Afeela 1
The Afeela is an elegant electric saloon with impeccable parentage. The result of a collaboration between Honda and Sony – in the latter’s first foray into the auto industry – the Afeela has been in the works for several years, with first prototypes surfacing back in 2023.
Now there’s a production-ready version of the Afeela, with first deliveries slated for 2026. There’s just one catch – California will be the car’s only market, at least initially. Boasting a 300+ mile range, in-car screens and audio that befits the involvement of Sony, and the association with Honda’s legendary reliability, the Afeela 1 manages to blend sense with sensuality.
3. Harman in-cabin experiences
Now a subsidiary of Samsung, the American company Harman used CES to showcase its business shaping in-car technology. It’s OEMs like Harman that provide the hardware and software driving the touchscreen era in car interiors, ‘turning cars into intelligent, empathetic companions’, in the company’s own words.
For the consumer, interior innovations are perceived to come from car brands themselves, but it’s packages like Harman’s ‘Ready’ suite of software that ensures connectivity, displays and audio work as one. New for 2025 is the focus on AI-driven Avatars, coupled with sensor systems for driver monitoring and safety.
4. BMW Panoramic iDrive
Harman’s work with BMW focuses on the German brand’s audio systems, which are supplied by specialist subsidiary Harman Kardon. For CES 2025, BMW took time to show its newest approach to dashboard design, previewing what’ll be available in this year’s ‘Neue Klasse’ models later this year.
Developed in house, Panoramic iDrive is the name of the game, driven by the new BMW Operating System X, and consisting of four core elements. These include the BMW Panoramic Vision Head-Up Display, which features a display running across base of the windscreen, an optional ‘3D Head-Up Display’ on the windscreen itself, an updated menu system on the main central display, and a new multifunctional steering wheel.
The new system comes at a time when touch screen interiors have lost a fair bit of their lustre, so it’ll be interesting to see how BMW navigates its promised ‘optimal combination of analogue and digital controls through the use of switches, buttons, touch and voice control.’
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the new system will ship with what BMW is calling its Intelligent Personal Assistant. This particular AI will apparently be honed via a Large Language Model that initially focuses on navigation requests, which more functionality to be added in due course.
5. Honda 0 Saloon and Honda 0 SUV
As well as its collaboration with Sony, Honda also showed off another existing design after twelve months of further development. The Honda 0 Series models first rolled up at CES 2024, but this time the fluted and faceted saloon and SUV version were updated and presented, with the latter turning 2024’s Space-Hub concept into a more production-friendly form.
Even so, the proposed Honda 0 Saloon and Honda 0 SUV still look like nothing the company has ever built before. The dramatic 0 Saloon has the stance and attitude of a four-door Lamborghini, while the SUV has a robot-like visage. Honda is talking about a market launch in 2026 and equipping both cars with an all-new new vehicle operating system, the ASIMO OS.
This is an obvious nod to the company’s long-running Asimo robot project, the development of which gave plenty of insight and data into autonomy and sensors. With that in mind, the 0 Series cars are also expected to be among the first true Level 3 automated driving models – i.e. eyes-off driving and full car control.
6. Segway Xyber and Xafari
Segway’s Xyber and Xafari e-bikes are racy and rugged and available to pre-order through the company. E-bikes might still exist in a legislative grey area in many parts of the world, but there’s no denying a huge consumer hunger for clean, swift, efficient and high-tech personal transport. The Xyber is the performance model, with a 112-mile range in dual battery spec.
The slightly more staid Xafari has an 88-mile range and a more practical luggage rack. Both share Segway’s Intelligent Ride System, with security and navigation functions.
Segway Xyber, $2,999.99, Store.Segway.com
Segway Xafari $2,399.99, Store.Segway.com
7. Flying Flea by Royal Enfield
Flying Flea is an an-all new electric motorcycle brand from legendary Indian motorcycle manufacturer Royal Enfield. The company’s roots go back over a century and it still supplies traditionally styled and exceptionally durable bikes for both the home and global markets.
Unveiled in Milan last November, the Flying Flea FF-C6 made its American debut at CES, along with the announcement that the new bike will use Snapdragon chips for its control system and onboard UI. With classic motorbike styling and colourways, the FF-C6 it set to arrive in early 2026, alongside the more off-road focused FF-S6.
FlyingFlea.royalenfield.com, @Royalenfieldev
8. Applied EV Blanc Robot
The 6th Generation Blanc Robot is a prototype project for a driverless electric delivery vehicle platform. Developed by the Australian firm Applied EV, the Blanc is a blank slate for the mission of your choice, with a compact low-lying chassis measuring just 4m by 1.6m and less than 1m high in its ‘naked’ state. Applied EV reckons the platform should be able to haul 1,000kg of cargo, whether it’s last-mile goods deliveries or industrial logistics.
9. Helix Pivotal
Helix showed off the latest version of their Pivotal eVTOL personal aircraft at a media event away from the main CES exhibition. This ultra-light single-seat eVTOL craft has already racked up thousands of hours of flight time and represents one of the more credible and capable models in a market still crowded with concepts and promises. Eight motors, one seat and just twenty minutes of flight team demonstrate why this eccentric but effective flying machine is still very much an enthusiast’s pursuit.
