• This year’s focus was on digital cockpits, automated driving, and software-defined vehicles, shedding light on the direction of the automotive industry.
• NVIDIA unveiled a series of partnerships with major automotive players including Toyota, Hyundai, and Uber.
• Other key announcements included Xpeng’s flying car, Zoox’s updated robotaxi, Aima’s new range of e-bikes, and HERE’s $1-billion deal with AWS.

CES 2025 was held in Las Vegas on January 7-10, during which automakers, industry suppliers, and many other companies made major automotive announcements, shedding light on the industry’s direction and focus.

This year, Counterpoint tracked over 60 automotive announcements to uncover key industry trends at CES 2025. The primary focus areas were digital cockpits, autonomous vehicles, and software-defined vehicles (SDVs), which continue to be among the most significant trends shaping the automotive sector.

Last year, artificial intelligence (AI) was the industry's buzzword, with many automotive players showcasing their readiness for various AI-driven applications. These included AI-powered personal assistants, operating systems, audio systems, mapping solutions, and safety enhancements.

Counterpoint Research focused on 10 major announcements:

1. Toyota, Aurora, Uber, and Hyundai are partnering with NVIDIA to advance autonomous and AI technologies. Toyota is adopting DRIVE AGX Orin for AVs, Aurora is developing Level 4 trucks using Continental’s solutions (which are using NVIDIA’s products), Uber is enhancing AI with Cosmos and DGX Cloud, while Hyundai is integrating Omniverse and Isaac Sim for vehicle innovation and manufacturing optimization. This shows renewed interest in autonomous driving for passenger and commercial vehicles.
2. BMW unveiled its advanced iDrive system with Panoramic Vision, OS X, and an intelligent LLM-based assistant at CES. Featuring a pillar-to-pillar display and optional 3D HUD, it will debut in the OEM’s Neue Klasse models in late 2025. The combination of features and styling make this notable.
3. HERE partnered with AWS in a $1 billion cloud infrastructure deal to enhance its AI and live streaming map and location data services capabilities. Additionally, BMW and AFEELA are adopting HERE’s solutions. TomTom unveiled its 3D Orbis Map and teamed up with Aptiv for hands-free Level 2+ driving.
4. QNX, a division of BlackBerry, relaunched as a standalone brand and partnered with Microsoft’s Azure cloud services division for enabling the use of QNX’s products in that cloud environment.
5. Qualcomm’s automotive focus at CES was on partnerships with a mix of OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and with others. Part of that focus was on how these companies are leveraging AI in the digital cockpit. OEM partnerships announced included Leapmotor and Mahindra. Qualcomm also announced an extension of its partnership with Sony Honda Mobility. With Tier 1s, the company announced several partnerships, including with Alps Alpine, Desay SV, Garmin, Hyundai Mobis, and Panasonic. This shows the company’s continued, growing array of partners in the market.
6. E-bike company Aima showed several new models at CES, including its new Key West, its new Venice, Manhattan, and Rocky. Aima featured an innovative new lineup at the event.
7. Sony Honda Mobility announced pricing and its retail distribution plan for its new AFEELA Origin and Signature models. This collaboration leverages Sony’s entertainment relationships and assets, which is unique among OEMs.
8. Tier 1 supplier Continental showed an interesting display solution – its Invisible Biometric Display, which features an eye-safe laser and a camera that can detect the vital signs of a vehicle occupant in front of the display.
9. Automaker Xpeng showed its ambitious take on an electric vertical take-off and landing (EVTOL) vehicle, its new AeroHT, which combines an EVTOL that has folding wings, enabling it to be transported in a companion van. Xpeng seems serious about this concept, with a reported 3,000 pre-orders and deliveries planned for 2026.
10. Lastly, robotaxi company Zoox was giving rides to media at CES, showing its updated robotaxi and its general progress toward providing robotaxi services to the broader public. This shows yet another major player moving toward commercializing Level 4 autonomous driving.

Access full 4-pager report here.

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