The annual CES tech-fest has drawn to a close for another year. Steve Blakeman, Managing Director of Global Accounts at OMD, features in Campaign summarising the key takeouts from CES 2016.
Describing this as the year of evolution rather than revolution, Steve noted that five years ago there was no automotive presence at CES. This year, the automotive boys stole much of the limelight with ten manufacturers in attendance taking up 25% more space than in 2015.
From Steve’s perspective, it became very clear that these brands were all pushing the same three key themes:
- Electrification – every manufacturer wanted to show off their new electrically powered products.
- Connectivity – there was once a time when the only way to connect with your car was by putting the key in the ignition. Nowadays, most cars don’t even have a key but can easily boil the kettle for you at home while on the move.
- Autonomous Cars – John Krafcik, CEO of Chauffeur (Google’s autonomous vehicle division) told attendees that their reasoning behind producing a car which can drive itself was very simple. Over 1.2 million people are killed each year in car accidents across the globe. Over 90% of these accidents are caused by human error. Car manufacturers have decided it’s their turn to get in on the act.
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