While CES isn’t the audio show it used to be, there was plenty of automotive news announced at the show this week. Here’s some of the big announcements:
Dolby Atmos Gains Ground
Dolby Labs said its Dolby Atmos is now in more than 150 vehicle models in 35 different global automotive brands, from entry level to luxury segments. Atmos creates “spatial audio” and immersive sound. It does this by dividing sound into “objects with 3D spatial metadata” that can move around the sound stage, including overhead (instead of using traditional fixed channels). Of note in the past year, Mercedes-Benz was one of the first car makers to include Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos in CarPlay so consumers can access Atmos through music on CarPlay. Mercedes is rolling out the feature across its lineup including new EV GLC, CLA, and GLB models.
Pioneer Sphera Wins CES Honor
As we reported, Pioneer introduced at CES the first aftermarket in-dash receiver with Dolby Atmos. Its Sphera head unit was a runner up in CNET’s Best of CES awards in the Best Transportation category. See more here.
Sony Mobility AFEELA 1 Gets Big Brother
For those following Sony Honda Mobility’s AFEELA 1 electric vehicle, the company kicked off CES announcing a few more details on the AFEELA roll out.
It showed a new prototype for a second AFEELA with SUV-like styling due in 2028 or later starting at $102,900. The release of the original AFEELA 1 is now delayed until the end of this year and the car will be available in California only with Arizona to follow.
You may remember that AFEELA 1 is an EV with a maximum 300 mile range with the original model carrying a starting price of $89K. The infotainment system includes a panoramic screen and a Dolby Atmos audio system with 28 speakers. The system can remotely play PlayStation 4 or 5 games.
See a full review by Engadget here.
Mercedes Adds New Autonomous Driving Capability
NVIDIA and Mercedez-Benz announced a new autonomous driving feature separate from Mercedes’ current Drive Pilot. The new feature, MB.Drive Assist Pro, can navigate autonomously from point to point in a city (something that Level 2 systems like GM’s Super Cruise can’t do). So Mercedes calls it Level 2++. The catch is the driver must still have one hand on the wheel and still pay attention even while the MB.Drive Assist Pro does most of the driving.
Take a look at the first 30 seconds of the video below for a quick demo:
Using NVIDIA software MB.Drive Assist Pro can navigate complex urban environments as well automatically park with the press of a button. CarandDriver said “Unlike Tesla’s Full Self-Driving, which uses just a camera feed to do supervised point-to-point navigation, MB.Drive Assist Pro is made possible with 10 cameras, five radar sensors, and a dozen ultrasonic sensors.” For every control change, AI generates 10 possible outcomes. When eight of those agree on a safe reaction the MB.Drive Assist Pro chooses that path.
The feature will be available later this year on the 2026 CLA for $3950 (which buys three years of service). Or users can purchase it via a monthly subscription.
Again, this differs from the current Mercedes Drive Pilot, which is a Level 3 autonomous feature that does not require hands on the wheel and allows users to legally text, watch movies or play video games on the touchscreen, said Auto Week.
Source: CarandDriver, Auto Week
NVIDIA to Allow Cars to “Reason”
NVIDIA announced at CES a new Alpamayo dataset that “enables the development of vehicles that perceive, reason and act with humanlike judgment…”
Autonomous vehicles can encounter rare, complex situations that go beyond their ability to navigate. These are called long tail events. The Alpamayo family of chips helps autonomous vehicle to navigate long tail events with “chain-of-thought, reasoning-based vision language action (VLA) models that bring humanlike thinking to AV decision-making,” said NVIDIA.
NVIDIA is working with Mercedes to produce a driverless car that uses the new tech that would be released in the US in the coming months, said the BBC. NVIDIA said vehicle makers including Uber and Lucid are showing interest in Alphamayo.
Ford Intros Car-Focused AI
Ford announced at CES a new AI function geared to drivers. It’s an AI Assistant that goes beyond functions like “Roll up my windows,” through an understanding of “where you are, what you’re doing, and what your vehicle is capable of,” said Ford.
For example, if you are shopping for mulch you can snap a photo of it and ask how many of the bags will fit in your truck bed.
The assistant will roll out starting in the Ford and Lincoln app in the first half of this year and will reach up to 8 million customers, through an in-car application, starting in 2027, said Ford.
Source: Ford
Top photo: NVIDIA Alpamayo Level 2++
