The best car tech of CES 2023

Being a car owner is a tough time.

Cars are generally not considered “household appliances”, CES Always bringing heat with automotive technology, the 2023 show was no exception. Everyone from Google to his BMW to Volkswagen to Garmin got in on the action, developing all-new cars or adding nifty new features to existing ones.

CES 2023 had it all: cars that changed colors, glow-in-the-dark cars, and handy ways to keep your car toxin-free.

Android Auto gets better

First android auto, Google’s software-level solution for Android smartphones connected to cars. Android Auto isn’t new per se, but Google brought a much-needed revamp to the product to his CES and quickly rolled it out to users. This is great.

The map view is now positioned on the left side of the in-car display, so it’s the first thing drivers see when they glance at the screen. There’s a new Quick Toolbar for frequently opened apps, all updated to reflect the “Material You” look. Pixel smartphone I have been playing sports for several years now.

Between those extra features and the ability to make WhatsApp calls from your phone in the car, Android Auto users will probably be happy. but there is morePodcasts and Music finally have a progress bar so you can skip your favorite tracks while driving. great stuff.

air purifier for cup holder

Sometimes cars don’t smell so good. Whether the culprit is food or an environment out of your control (count your blessings if you’ve never driven past a field full of livestock), Panasonic has a way to fix the problem.

of nanoe X portable air purifier It looks like a stainless steel water bottle, but it’s actually an air purifier made to fit in your car’s cup holder. It creates tiny water particles that oxidize the air, ideally reducing both bad odors and bad bacteria in your car. is needed.

Tip: Same goes for regular car washes.

Ready Vision and Ready Care

It feels like we’ve been waiting forever for cars to become something of a sci-fi movie. minority report. When hermans With the new Ready Vision technology, you may not have to wait any longer.

With Ready Vision, your car uses augmented reality to project helpful images onto the windshield itself. GPS directions, blind spot warnings, and other important information about the car can all be projected by Harman’s Ready Vision, which will go into production this spring.

Another new Harman feature coming into production at the same time is Ready Care. Ready Care uses neuroscience and machine learning to detect if the driver is drowsy or distracted using cameras, sensors and monitors. In that case, the car offers personalized responses to help you focus on driving.

BMW and VW going crazy with exterior paint

For basically a century, cars have usually been painted in one color. But BMW and Volkswagen came to his CES with two unique visions of how to adapt the look of a car on the fly.

of VW ID.7 Covered in multicolor digital camouflage paint and a QR code, this electric sedan is sure to catch the eye on the road. Different sections of the car can turn on or off independently of each other, so you can, for example, put on a light show in your car in sync with the music you’re listening to. Not sure if this helps in any way, but it would be a conversation starter.

same thing BMW i Vision DThis is a concept car with an e-ink exterior that allows the driver to actually change the color of the car. With 32 different shades to choose from for 240 different segments of your car’s exterior, you can create all sorts of unique patterns according to your taste. Again, this feature is unlikely to change your life, teeth Cool to have a giant, mechanical chameleon in your garage.

your dream drive recorder

finally, garmin We brought a dash cam to CES that can do all sorts of fun…at a price.

The $400 Dash Cam Live comes with LTE connectivity for a $10 monthly fee. If you choose to pay, you can remotely view a 140-degree, 1440p feed from your dash cam wherever you are. For example, if someone tries to do some interesting business with your car while you’re at a restaurant, you can see it and react accordingly.

An always-on camera auto-saves incident clips with time and location tags, and voice commands are enabled so you can tell what to do while behind the wheel. While it’s certainly not a color-changing car or a portable air purifier, some would argue that Dash Cam Live is the most practical automotive tech showcased at his CES.