CES 2025: Where have all the American automakers gone?

The old chestnut that industry observers have circulated over the past decade has been just that CES – one of the world’s largest consumer technology trade events – has turned into a car show. Perhaps even the most important auto show of the year.

There was much evidence of this. Use General Motors Chairman and CEO Mary Barra CES stage in 2016 To introduce the world to the all-electric Chevrolet Bolt. In 2022, Barra made another big splash at CES when it announced that General Motors would Selling personal self-driving vehicles By the middle of the decade.

Meanwhile, Ram and Chrysler — two American brands owned by Stellantis — used CES to showcase future electric vehicles, including Ram 1500 PV In 2023.

Ford was perhaps the most visible exhibitor at CES — at least on the automotive front. The American automaker used CES for a range of Technology related ads Since at least 2011, including the Smart Mobility Plan in 2015, Self-driving car ambitions In 2016, Future EV lineup in 2017, and her vision for the city of tomorrow in 2018, which included building a city Cloud platform with autonomy For smart cities.

This year, not a single American automaker can be found, unless you count VW Group’s American subsidiary Scout Motors. Several Chinese automakers have filled this void, notably Zeekr, the electric vehicle brand owned by Chinese conglomerate Geely Holdings. Wey, a premium brand of Great Wall Motor, and Xpeng also had booths.

Their absence can be attributed to the normal product cycle, which is longer in automobiles than other consumer electronics, Brian Moody, senior editor at Kelley Blue Book, told TechCrunch. “It’s cyclical, that’s the boring answer,” he said in a recent interview. “Automakers’ product cycles are much longer than consumer product cycles. Building a car in the real world takes longer.

He also said automakers are starting to rethink their presence at shows like CES. “If you’re not generating tens of millions of consumer impressions, what’s your ROI?” He added that the fragmentation of the media contributed to this concern.

Ford spokesperson Alan Hall told TechCrunch that although the company has no activations (display or news announcements) this year, “CES remains an important show for exploring new technologies and trends in consumer electronics, so we will have a presence with a number of From companies. From members of our engineering, design, supply chain and product planning team there.

For example, some Ford employees have participated in panel discussions, such as at the Connect2Car conference.

A GM spokesperson confirmed that its attendance was small with a few partners, but there were no engagements or speaking booth, noting that at all trade shows, the company evaluates annually and adjusts based on different business factors and priorities.

Regardless, walking the floor of the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center — where nearly all vehicle technology can be found — the lack of American automakers was noticeable. Elaborate kiosks showcasing electric vehicles or automotive software from American companies are nowhere to be found.

Several Chinese automakers have filled this void, particularly Zeekr, the electric vehicle brand owned by Chinese conglomerate Geely Holdings.

The matter extended to other automakers such as Mercedes-Benz, which traditionally had large exhibits at CES.

Mercedes made the decision to skip CES after “careful consideration and evaluation of our strategic direction for the coming year,” spokesman Patrick Koum told TechCrunch, adding that the company has a presence at partner Xperi’s booth.

There were a couple of automakers there like Honda, which showed off two vehicles in its upcoming 0 Series as well as the basic Asimo operating system, and BMW, which revealed more about its operating system. New user interface inside the car. Toyota also caused a sensation in its press conference in which it announced this You completed the first stage For her living laboratory, Woven City, and that she was exploring and investing in orbital rockets.

But the main topic was automated driving and software, and legacy automakers didn’t have much to show for it on that front. Instead, companies working on automated driving — or the sensors that support it — and software have taken up the bulk of the space. AV giants Zoox and Waymo had on display (along with Zoox robotaxi rides for media) alongside other companies such as May Mobility and Japanese company Tier IV.

Software and sensor companies abound, including Aeva, Applied Intuition, and Sonatus, to name a few.