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- CES says the show will go on in Las Vegas, with the tech show opening doors Jan. 5-7
- Carmakers GM, BMW and Ford pulled out, along with many other exhibitors.
- Many withdrawn attendees will present news virtually online.
CES lopped off a day of its traditionally four-day tech trade show in Las Vegas, announcing new dates of January 5-7 of this week. The one-day trim was ostensibly for Covid protocols, but really, it might have had something to do with the fact that exhibitors and attendees have been fleeing the potential superspreader event ever since the omicron variant of the Covid-19 disease reared its ugly, spore-like head.
“The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) today announced that CES 2022 will be closing one day early, and the in-person event will take place in Las Vegas on Jan. 5-7,” the show said in a release. “The step was taken as an additional safety measure to the current health protocols that have been put in place for CES.”
Carmakers GM, BMW, and Ford had already announced they would not be present, and non-auto-related heavy hitters including Microsoft, Google, AT&T, T-Mobile, Amazon, Twitter, and Meta Platforms Inc., the company formerly known as Facebook, are among the big companies that have backed out already.
Hyundai, Fisker, and GM’s BrightDrop commercial vehicle enterprise will be there, though, and most carmakers that backed out will offer virtual announcements and press conferences instead.
As of Dec. 31, the show was still insisting there would be 2200 exhibitors on hand and that 143 new exhibitors had signed on in the last two weeks.
GM will move CEO Mary Barra’s keynote address online, along with the company’s reveal of the Chevrolet Silverado EV. GM subsidiary BrightDrop will be at the show with its EV600 electric commercial vehicle, which debuted virtually at last year’s show.
Mercedes is showing a new electric car called the Vision EQXX today, two days before the doors officially open at the Las Vegas Convention Center. BMW is likewise expected to host an online program. Fisker is going to show off 4D Radar on its coming Ocean electric crossover.
Also expected to make in-house debuts are various autonomous vehicle companies, which will take over the Las Vegas Convention Center’s huge new West Hall, with demos of various AI-piloted vehicles in the large parking lot in front of that new edifice.
On the last official day of the show, Friday, January 7, teams from the Indy Autonomous Challenge are scheduled to race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on the north end of town.
“Making history as the first high-speed, head-to-head autonomous racecar competition, 19 universities from 8 countries will form 9 race teams and will seek to compete in the Autonomous Challenge @ CES,” IAC said in a statement.
Automotive LiDAR hardware and software maker Luminar announced it will serve as “a premier sponsor and prominent automotive technology partner of the Autonomous Challenge @ CES.”
“The Dallara AV-21 is the most advanced race car ever built and features three Luminar Hydra LiDAR sensors to provide 360-degree long-range sensing, which enables safe autonomy at high speeds.”
Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk’s mile-long Boring Co. tunnel under the convention center is expected to once again thrill attendees with swift, silent rides from one end of the convention center to the other.
CES says all attendees must be fully vaccinated, but only “recommends” the booster shot and individual self-testing for Covid before allowing entry to the show. All attendees will be required to wear masks.
We will be following CES announcements and press conferences online and will report to you as soon as news is made.
