The i Vision Dee shows off the German automobile manufacturer’s latest iteration of its E-Ink tech via 240 electrophoretic panels, spread across the car’s bodywork. These can be controlled individually for a kaleidoscope of colours, or collectively.

CES 2023’s version is capable of changing to 32 colours, but perhaps more impressive than the four-door electric vehicle’s colour-shifting exterior is its windscreen, which provides drivers with the option of projecting vital data like directions, vehicle speed and the latest in social media via an augmented-reality heads-up display directly onto their windshields.

Other innovations include the sedan’s ability to, well, emote using a combination of headlights and closed kidney grilles. While BMW says these concepts will be rolled out soonish for its upcoming range of Neue Klasse cars in 2025, it hasn’t announced which of these concepts will return.

Related: This luxury Italian EV is world’s fastest-accelerating road-legal car

Not to be outshone, fellow German automaker Volkswagen’s ID.7 also comes with a form of “special camouflage”, created via 40 layers of paint (some of which react and light up when an electric current is passed through them). Like BMW’s car, the ID.7 comes with 22 separate panels that can be customised independently – or hooked up to a sound system for what might be the world’s biggest flex of a disco ball.

Another similarity is a planned augmented-reality heads-up display, though you’ll like this next innovation: smart air-conditioning that begins to cool the car when the driver, key in hand, is detected nearby.
Even more impressive is the electric concept car’s purported range of 700km on a single charge – signposting practicality as a major plus point for the brand’s vehicles amid all the shiny baubles.

The ID.7 isn’t commercially available just yet, but will be launched in China, Europe and America for starters as part of Volkswagen’s plan to produce ten EV models by 2026.

Speaking of EVs, electronics giant Sony is throwing its hat into the ring. It is collaborating with fellow Japanese manufacturer Honda to launch Afeela, an EV specialist. The alliance works to the strength of both firms: Sony provides the tech like sensors and entertainment, while Honda focuses on automotive engineering.

Expect a host of sensors and cameras for a safe and convenient driving experience, whilst relaxing with a built-in display bolstered by a hefty entertainment suite – including, oddly enough, a PlayStation 5 console for backseat gaming.

Funnily enough, in-vehicle gaming seems to be a potential growth market, as Nvidia, which specialises in graphics processing units, also announced deals with Polestar and Hyundai Motor Group to bring its cloud gaming platform, GeForce Now, onto displays built into passengers’ seats.

The EV market isn’t just taking off on the ground. Flying cars have been making the rounds in recent years, with each iteration making incremental improvements in flight time and capacity. US company Aska might swoop into the lead now though, as they announced at CES 2023 an actual flying four-seater – yes, four seats – with a battery-powered range of over 400km, with an extra 80 tucked away in an auxiliary petrol engine.

Unlike some of the cars we’ve mentioned, the company is already accepting pre-orders, with a final asking price of US$789,000 (S$1.05 million) for the Aska A5.

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