The best car technologies at CES 2025

this year CES A number of major automakers have seen supply skipped amid a disappointing market for high-tech products and a political climate that could worsen that market. It’s not unusual for automakers to pull back on big expenses like displaying at a trade show in response to “uncertainty,” and when it comes to the future of the U.S. auto business, there’s a lot to do. But even with a light year to navigate, we were able to find some cool stuff. Here are our highlights.

Exping Aerohot

XPENG AEROHT bills itself as Asia’s largest flying car company and says the land-based aircraft carrier shown here will be the first mass-produced modular flying car. The 6-helicopter is neatly mounted to the back of the 6-wheeled “mothership” and deployed automatically. In person, the mothership has a bit of a Cybertruck vibe, but without the outrageous proportions. XPENG says production will begin in 2026, but we’ve noticed a few things that need to be worked on before then, most notably that the wheels on the mothership we’ve seen don’t look like they’ll be able to turn.

Honda 0 series

We’ve been watching the Series 0’s development closely, mostly due to its very wild look. Car companies usually come out with a wild concept car, then water it down to make it legal, practical, and salable. It looks like Honda will continue its run here, and plans to offer something really different in 2026. The 0 Series saloons and SUVs will turn heads in traffic, but beyond their looks, the cars will offer a completely new concept in handling and an in-car assist that aims to be Your trusted friend.

Zicker Mix

Chinese automaker Zeekr brought three cars to CES, but the combination was the most compelling. It’s a pickup truck with side doors that provide amazing access to the reconfigurable passenger cabin, and features battery and charging technology that makes you wonder why we can’t get electric cars like this in the States. The Geely-owned automaker appears as ready as any other Chinese automaker to move to the United States when conditions are right.

searchlight

Scout brought the Terra truck and Traveler SUV to CES. We’ve seen them before, but if you haven’t seen them in person yet, they’re a lot bolder (at least at this stage in their development) than similar offerings from Rivian. Another key differentiator for the Scout is a planned petrol-powered range extender that will allow them to travel much further than a pure electric off-roader.

Royal Enfield Flying S6

There were a lot of electric bikes and scooters at CES this year, but this electric motorcycle from Royal Enfield caught my attention. Royal Enfield is one of the few legacy British brands that has found new life under Indian ownership. The revived company is known for its relatively affordable gasoline-powered bikes, but this little motorcycle is electric. The Flying Flea is named after a small motorcycle designed to be airdropped alongside paratroopers in World War II, and the modern version aims to provide easy and versatile electric transportation for city dwellers.

Suzuki Micro e-mobility platform concept

Well, it’s here mostly because it’s cute. But a modular, configurable electric vehicle of this size could be really useful. Suzuki had one with a small plow and suggested that instead of letting snow accumulate in a large parking lot and then using a truck or plow to remove it, you could put one of these little pieces there to prevent snow from accumulating in the first place. Would anyone actually do that? I don’t know. What will you use it for?