Technology

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a new autonomous concept car at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, debuting what it calls the VISION AVTR as part of Daimler CEO Ola Källenius' keynote speech. Inspired by James Cameron's 2009 blockbuster film Avatar, Mercedes-Benz went so far as to partner with the film's creators to design the AVTR (an abbreviation of 'Advanced Vehicle Transformation').

Renault has followed in the footsteps of Mazda, Toyota and Lexus in allowing owners of older vehicles to upgrade their cars with the latest smartphone mirroring software from Apple and Google. Starting today, owners of Koleos SUV models built before September 2017 will be able to pay $486.40 to have the car's hardware and software upgraded to support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Mazda charges $495 for the upgrade, while Toyota asks just $199 to upgrade eligible models.

The next-generation Cadillac Escalade will have a curved OLED display measuring 38 inches diagonally. OLED technology is typically found on smaller consumer devices, such as smartphones and smartwatches. Without the need for a backlight, OLED screens have deeoper blacks, and can be more easily made into interesting shapes.

BMW has revealed its next-generation digital key technology, which now works when your phone is flat. The Digital Key 2.0 will be able to lock or unlock the car, start the vehicle remotely, and give family members or friends access to the vehicle using the BMW Connected application.

Infiniti will give its most important 2020 models a new dual-screen infotainment system, complete with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, in the critical North American market. Although it already has a dual-screen infotainment system in its stable, Nissan's luxury arm has treated it to a number of updates, including an updated navigation system with Google imagery, and the ability to update maps with over-the-air updates.