- CES 2025 showcased advanced automotive tech, including BMW’s Panoramic iDrive and Honda’s all-electric models.
- BMW’s Panoramic iDrive features a digital display across the dashboard, while Honda’s 0 SUV and 0 Saloon offer Level 3 automated driving.
- Honda is also working on improving charging access, and French company Stellar aims to optimize mobile service in vehicles.
- Toyota is developing a complete city environment in Japan, Woven City, to test automated tech development.
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025, held in Las Vegas, has once again served as a platform for showcasing the future of technology. The focus was particularly on advanced automotive tech, with the industry’s commitment to reducing pollution, enhancing occupant safety, and providing greater convenience and entertainment for road users evident in the innovations presented at the event.
One of the most impressive innovations was BMW’s all-new in-cabin digital interface, the Panoramic iDrive. This technology offers a glimpse into the kind of screens and technology we can expect to see in new vehicles in the coming years. The Panoramic iDrive features a digital display at the base of the windshield that spans the entire dashboard.
This display, known as Panoramic Vision, projects a range of information, from speed and EV range to navigation guidance, along with climate and audio info.
BMW and Honda’s Technological Leap
The Panoramic Vision pairs with an easy-to-reach central touchscreen and an advanced head-up display that can project 3D-like information on the windshield for the driver. BMW also showcased a new squared-off steering wheel with illuminated buttons, which the company claims are very easy to use. The Panoramic iDrive is expected to debut in upcoming BMW vehicles in late 2025.
Honda also made waves at CES 2025 with the debut of two all-new, all-electric models, the Honda 0 SUV and 0 Saloon. These vehicles, based on two wild-looking concept cars shown at the previous year’s CES, have retained their aggressive style and are sure to turn heads when they arrive in 2026.
The 0 SUV and 0 Saloon will be built in Ohio and will feature Level 3 automated driving functionality. This means drivers will be able to drive hands-free and take their eyes off the road for short periods of time when specific environmental conditions are met. Honda has also developed a new technology interface, called Asimo, for these 0 models. Asimo will offer a high degree of personalization, allowing users to customize their driving experience.
Charging Infrastructure and Internet Connectivity
The launch of the 0 SUV and 0 Saloon will coincide with Honda’s efforts to improve charging access for drivers. This initiative, a joint effort with seven other automakers, aims to build 30,000 high-speed charging stations in North America by 2030. These stations will feature plugs with the Tesla-style North American Charging Standard (NACS), which most automakers have been switching to.
Despite advancements in technology, obtaining consistent and stable internet service remains a challenge in 2025. However, a new company from France, Stellar, is aiming to address this issue. Stellar is working with automakers to optimize mobile service using hardware already built into today’s cars. The company’s goal is to improve and provide more consistent high-speed internet access in vehicles, whether they are traveling through a city tunnel or across the open plains.
Toyota’s Woven City
Toyota’s vision for the future of mobility extends beyond EVs and self-driving cars. The company is engineering a complete city environment in Japan, known as Woven City, where everything from building construction to food supply to education and transportation are coordinated for maximum efficiency and minimal environmental impact.
Woven City will serve as a test course for automated tech development. The site will scale from an initial 50,000 square miles up to 700,000 square miles as construction continues. By the fall of 2025, it will provide housing for about 360 Toyota staff and family members and will eventually expand to accommodate over 2,000 residents, including partner companies involved in construction, food and drink, education, and even rocket production.
While it’s difficult to predict what will come out of Toyota’s Woven City that will actually end up in production vehicles, it’s fair to say that Toyota will have a head start on how to leverage various new technologies best.