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Carsales Staff11 Jan 2016
NEWS

Best of 2016 CES

Our pick of the five most relevant new technologies revealed at this year's Consumer Electronics Show

So there was plenty to be seen at this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, as evidenced by the increasing number of concept cars revealed by manufacturers at the world's biggest tech show.

Look no further than the born-again Kombi, Volkswagen's Budd-e, GM's first EV, the Chevrolet Bolt, Faraday Future's ZERO, the BMW i Vision Future Interaction and another i8-based supercar concept, the Rinspeed Etos.

All of them displayed a raft of new automotive systems, but when it comes to useful stuff that could soon make our lives easier, here are the five most relevant new automotive technologies for consumers.

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It's not yet in production and it's likely to cost about $300,000, but this autonomous helicopter concept is claimed to carry a passenger for more than 20 minutes or 3.5km, making it the world's first passenger drone. Is this the future of personal local transport?

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Audi virtual showroom
This isn't the first example of the technology, but Audi's vision of the synthesised demonstrator appears to be the most advanced and will go live in US dealerships later this year. Buying a car will never be the same.

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Taking existing technologies to new levels, this British supercar concept replaces the conventional instrument panel with a head-up display that projects all key vehicle information onto the windscreen, and locates all controls on a futuristic compact steering wheel. Of course, there are also cameras to replace the wing mirrors – an old show car trick that will reach showrooms as soon as legislation allows it.

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BMW Bumper Protect system
Here's a camera-based surveillance system that will film anyone that damages your car while it's parked and stream the video in real-time to your smartphone, allowing drivers to not only know who vandalised their car but to catch them in the act. Could lead to some fascinating car park stoushes.

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Volvo Remote Voice Control
Voice control of your car's phone, sat-nav and even climate functions is old hat, so Sweden's only car-maker thought it would apply the technology remotely, allowing you to tell your car to unlock its doors, warm its seats, program it nav system and even toot its horn – all Knightrider-style via a wristwatch. Great way to find your car in the airport carpark after a long business trip.

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