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Electric cars and laser TVs: What to expect from Chinese gadget makers at CES 2019

An electric car with multiple touchscreens, a smaller laser TV, new Razer products and more from the world’s largest tech show

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Electric cars and laser TVs: What to expect from Chinese gadget makers at CES 2019
Karen Chiu
This article originally appeared on ABACUS

The first big tech show of 2019 kicks off in Las Vegas this week.

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As in recent years, China still has a massive presence at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES). It's true that the trade war with the US means fewer Chinese companies are making the flight across the Pacific. Yet, there are still some 1,200 Chinese exhibitors present -- a sizeable number unmatched by any country besides the US.

Here's what we're expecting to see.

Better self-driving cars, more touchscreens

Over the years we’ve seen plenty of flashy vehicles from China. In 2016, drone startup Ehang showed off a driverless “flying car” that promises to transport a single passenger to any destination up to 10 miles away. A year later, electric car maker Faraday Future unveiled a Tesla challenger that promised plenty of neat features. (It’s still in production limbo amid the company’s much-publicized financial woes).
This year, another Chinese electric car startup, Byton, is back at the CES with a production-ready SUV called M-Byte. It’s got plenty of screens: A touchscreen spans the entire dashboard, another sits on top of the steering wheel, one between the driver and the front passenger, and more in the rear for passengers. American and European users can use their voice with Amazon’s Alexa.
Talk about distraction for drivers. (Picture: Byton via Weibo)
Talk about distraction for drivers. (Picture: Byton via Weibo)
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Meanwhile, Baidu will introduce an upgraded version of its autonomous driving platform Apollo. It wants to help vehicles navigate urban roads in city centers and residential areas. The company is largely considered a pioneer in self-driving cars in China. But it’s now hoping to sell its technology elsewhere, having forged partnerships with the likes of Microsoft and Ford. 

Meet Baidu, China’s homegrown search engine

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