CES 2026: When Robots Win Awards and Cars Learn to Read Your Mood

CX Insights - Trend Watch - Automotive Industry (ICYMI January 2026)

Happy New Year! As we kick off another year of tracking the twists, turns, and occasional U-turns of the automotive industry, there's no better place to start than CES. For those of you who've been following along – some of you since our very first post back in 2018 – thank you for making this journey with us. For newcomers, buckle up. It's going to be another wild ride, and we're thrilled to be your pit crew for automotive trends and their CX implications throughout 2026.

And speaking of wild rides, CES this year felt less like a trade show and more like a job fair for robots. While we were still nursing our holiday food comas, Vegas was busy proving that the future isn't coming – it's already parallel parking itself.

| ROBOTS TAKE CENTER STAGE (LITERALLY)

In what might be the ultimate flex, Boston Dynamics' Atlas robot walked away with "Best Robot" at CES – beating actual tech companies at their own game. A car company's humanoid robot (Hyundai owns Boston Dynamics, in case you forgot). Let that sink in while you consider what your next service appointment might look like.

Meanwhile, Figure AI's robots are already working full shifts at BMW's Spartanburg plant, powered by their Helix AI that lets robots reason through tasks instead of just following scripts. We've officially entered the era where "made by robots" isn't just marketing, it's the org chart.

| YOUR CAR'S GETTING SMARTER (AND PROBABLY JUDGING YOUR PLAYLIST)

Mercedes dropped MB.Drive Assist Pro, hands-free driving for cities, not just highways. That means your car can now handle San Francisco traffic while you doom-scroll in peace. One test driver described it as feeling like "the car is on rails."

Not to be outdone, GM's Super Cruise is getting major upgrades for 2026, including Google Maps integration and automatic transition to hands-free mode when you hit a compatible road. With over 500,000 Super Cruise-equipped vehicles now on the road, a 100% year-over-year increase, GM is proving that the steady, methodical approach to autonomy has its merits.

BMW's taking the "bigger is better" approach with screens that basically turn your dashboard into IMAX. And Toyota? They're rolling out their "Arene" operating system in the new RAV4, making your vehicle feel less like transportation and more like a smartphone with wheels, complete with over-the-air updates.

| THE GREAT BUTTON REBELLION

In a plot twist nobody saw coming, physical buttons are making a comeback. Volkswagen's design chief admitted "it's a car, not a phone" and promised buttons in every future model. Turns out drivers prefer knobs they can feel over touchscreens that require three swipes to change the temperature. Revolutionary concept: designing for humans.

CX REALITY CHECK

Here's what CES means for those of us in customer experience: every new feature creates a new support need. When your car updates overnight, customers will call. When the AI co-pilot gets confused, someone needs to help. The OEMs dazzling us with demos haven't quite figured out the "what happens when it doesn't work" part yet. That's where it gets interesting.

The road ahead is full of robots, AI, and cars that think they're smarter than us. They might be right, but they'll still need someone to call when things go sideways.

Here's to 2026! May your innovations be bold and your customer callbacks be few!