[CES 2024] Flying taxis, 'smartphone on wheels' to take at stage

Global automakers will gather in Las Vegas for CES 2024, where companies like Hyundai Motor and Kia will debut software-defined vehicles and flying taxis.

From left, teaser images of Hyundai Motor, Supernal, and Kia about their presentation at the upcoming CES 2024, which kicks off on Jan. 9 in Las Vegas. [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

CES is not just a trade show for electronics; it now is a compelling auto present on the calendar.

CES sees global automakers come together to raise eyebrows with the automotive debuts that integrate AI with mobility, from future-themed concept cars to flying taxis.

The annual show, which kicks off on Jan. 9 in Las Vegas, is expected to attract some 40,000 companies globally, the largest crowd since before the Covid-19 pandemic. Ten percent of those attendees are mobility companies, including such big auto names as Hyundai Motor.

Big Tech names like Google and Microsoft are also slated to reveal strategies for auto components.

“AI is expanding its influence to all areas including mobility,” Samil PwC said in a recent report analyzing upcoming trends for CES 2024. “Mobility technologies like self-driving, EVs, connected cars and software will maintain their position as a pivotal role in future industries.”

42dot, Hyundai Motor's autonomous driving developer, will make an appearance in the upcoming CES 2024 for the first time. The CES tech fair will take place from Jan. 9 to 12 in Las Vegas. [42DOT]

━ Smartphones on wheels

CES 2024 will demonstrate how far global automakers have come in making their vehicles smarter.

Hyundai Motor, who will return to the show after skipping last year's, said it will unveil a so-called software-defined vehicle (SDV), for the first time. SDVs, or what's known in the industry as a “smartphone on wheels," are equipped with an over-the-air (OTA) system that can update cars' software with the latest features over time.

42dot, an SDV startup owned by Hyundai, will demonstrate a car model with the SDV system at the automaker’s 6,437-square-mete booth.

“Hyundai has currently been accelerating our shift to SDVs,” Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung said on Wednesday. “Hyundai should be No. 1 in both competitiveness and quality.”

Hyundai Mobis' booth at the CES 2024 [HYUNDAI MOBIS]

Song Chang-hyeon, Hyundai's head of SDV, is expected to announce strategies for SDVs during the show. Song also serves as the CEO OF 42dot.

Hyundai and Kia are expected to convert all of their cars to SDVs by the end of 2025.

Mercedes will unveil its new Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) virtual assistant.

The AI-powered feature, which offers a natural language interface that drivers can use to control conditions within the car, is being hailed by the firm as the “next major step” toward its vision of a “connected, personalized driving experience.”

BMW will also reveal new technologies based on software development.

Honda's first-ever electric SUV, Prologue, which will be displayed at the CES 2024. [EPA/YONHAP]

━ From new cars to flying taxis

Many global automakers take to the CES stage to debut their upcoming vehicle lineups in addition to futuristic concepts.

Kia is scheduled to unveil five purpose-built vehicle (PBV) concept cars — a first for any major automobile firm. The models include three mid-sized vehicles as well as one large and one small model.

A PBV is designed for specific use cases such as shuttling, last-mile delivery and ride-hailing service.

Kia is set to launch its first PBV in 2025, with a goal of becoming a No. 1 player by 2030.

A teased image of Supernal's flying taxi [HYUNDAI MOTOR]

The upcoming show will mark the company's first return to the Las Vegas trade show in five years. It most recently appeared there in 2019.

Kia will also display concept models of EV3 and EV4 at the show, in which the release dates have been set later this year.

Honda will also unveil a 2024 EV lineup that will include its first electric SUV.

The SUV, named Prologue, is estimated to run 482 kilometers (300 miles) on a single charge. The sticker price will likely be set at an early $40,000.

Supernal, a Washington-based urban air mobility (UAM) subsidiary of Hyundai Motor, will participate in CES for the first time. The company will unveil its flying taxi at the upcoming CES, displaying a life-size model for the first time in its history.

Supernal is currently developing the UAW, which can run 120 miles per hour and can accommodate up to four people. Commercialization is set for 2028.

The company will also set up an exhibition outside of the convention hall to show vertiport, where the UAM vehicles take off and land vertically, to let visitors feel like they are in flying taxis.

Kia's low-cost EV lineup. From left, EV3, EV5, EV4. EV3 and EV4 will be introduced in Korea in 2024. [KIA]

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]