Particle.news
Download on the App Store

AI Dominates CES 2026 as Automakers Pull Back From New Car Debuts

Analysts point to China as the new spotlight for car launches, reflecting CES's pivot toward 'physical AI' with robotics.

Overview

  • New passenger-vehicle unveilings were scarce in Las Vegas, with industry voices saying Shanghai and Munich’s IAA now matter more for car launches as BYD surpasses Tesla in sales.
  • Nvidia introduced Alpamayo, an autonomous-driving model designed to add humanlike reasoning to perception for more natural on-road decisions.
  • Ford set 2028 for eyes-off, hands-free driving on its Universal EV Platform and outlined a unified high-performance compute center for infotainment, ADAS, audio and networking.
  • A Lucid–NuroUber team previewed a robotaxi, underscoring the shift from traditional car reveals to software-defined and driverless services.
  • CTA warned potential tariffs could sharply lift U.S. prices, projecting increases of 31% for smartphones, 34% for laptops and up to 69% for game consoles, even as consumer standouts included LG’s W6 Wallpaper OLED, Samsung’s 130-inch Micro RGB TV, LG’s CLOiD home robot and Lego’s Smart Play bricks.