Should we even be calling some of these things on four wheels that get us from point A to point B cars anymore? After all, cars are just that -- machines that we control in order to get places, while maybe playing some music along the way.
So many in cars development though, seem more like giant rolling robots with all the technology jammed into them. BMW for example, is working on cars fitted with lasers that always know what’s around them; therefore, reacting to danger before you do, making them almost impossible to crash. Step out of that same car -- and it’ll go find a parking spot for you.
“You start the car to put up itself with your intelligent watch, then it starts to move into the parking garage finding the way to the available parking spot, parks in and switches off," said Robert Hein, with BMW.
In the meantime, Mercedes unveiled a futuristic concept. They will offer a self-driving car that's more like a self-driving chauffeured limousine.
“You can go on autopilot. So, the steering wheel disappears, the seat turns around facing actually the opposite direction so you can have a chat with your friends," said Gorden Wagener, with Mercedes-Benz.
Now not quite as whiz bang as a self-driving car, but Toyota’s Hydrogen Fuel Cell Mirai has an interesting feature that’ll make you likely prefer this one in the event of a natural disaster.
“This Mirai is capable of supplying enough energy to power your home essentials as well as all of your consumer electronics in the average home for up to a week in the event of an emergency," said Bob Carter, with Toyota.
In fact, Toyota believes so strongly in the technology, it announced at CES that it is taking all of its almost 6,000 hydrogen fuel cell technology patents and making them available for free to anyone, no royalties required.