There were big moves in the Auto portion of CES this year, some literal. The Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) which hosts much of the show is in the process of revamping its spaces. Where once all the auto-related exhibitors clustered in the North Hall, this year the big auto OEMs and their Tier 1 suppliers moved to the newish West Hall, leaving the old North Hall to the Tier 2 suppliers and after-market parts dealers.

As much as this is a trivial logistical move, we can interpret it as part of something bigger. The auto makers have always been an odd fit for the Consumer Electronics Show, but they are waking up to the reality that they are now hosts of what is likely to be the next major consumer compute platform. They have done away with demos of speed and torque, and now are all solidly focusing on apps, AI and autonomy. It now makes more sense for these OEMs to have booths alongside Qualcomm and Mobileye rather than next to providers of tricked-out underbody lights and the latest shock absorbers.

Not surprisingly there was a lot of talk about autonomy this year. That side of autos is still inching forward but remains a hot topic for big shows. In fairness, some companies are making real progress here, just not the ones we usually think of.

True, “Level 5” autonomy for cars remains distant, but for vehicles with a more limited range of operations it is much closer. Specifically – construction. The makers of Bobcat mini-bakchoes and Hyundai both had demos of construction gear in their “auto” booths. That being said, both of these vehicles are not quite ready for production.

However, tech pioneer John Deere does have autonomous equipment in use. The entranceway to their booth had a live feed from an autonomous vehicle tilling a cotton field in Texas. We have written about Deere in the past and will likely do so more in the future.