Autonomous Cars Grab the Spotlight at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas

by Ma Elena Garcia / Jan 08, 2016 07:27 AM EST

Self-driving cars steal the spotlight the 2016 CES in Las Vegas. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)

At this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the spotlight is focused on autonomous cars.

According to The San Diego Tribune, the top theme at this year's International Consumer Electronic Show, Internet of Things, described the current technology of the cars.

As revealed during the show, the number of driverless cars is expected to grow rapidly over the next five years. Industry research firm Gartner predicts the number of autonomous cars to rise from 25 million to 150 million globally.

BMW and Audi wowed audiences and media men with real life demos of their vehicles at the show.

Digital News reported Wednesday that BMW has introduced its iVision Future Interaction Concept Car which boasts the new AirTouch technology. The said feature allows the driver to control the car's navigation, entertainment and connectivity functions by making simple gestures with the hand.

The autonomous driving function of the iVision Future Interaction Concept Car comes in three modes: Pure Drive, Assist and Auto. In Assist mode, the driver manually pilots the vehicle but the automatic driving function steps in when it senses a possible collision with another car or an object on the road. The Auto mode provides the complete driveless experience.Under this mode the steering wheel retracts and turns blue, and the car seats adjust to give the driver more space to move around and enjoy the outside view.

Volkswagen also unveiled its BUDD-e Concept car which the company describes as the "gateway to the future," The Verge noted Tuesday. The BUDD-e takes after the Modular Electric Platform for electric vehicles. It runs on a 101 kWh battery which is good for 373 miles of driving under the New European Driving Cycle.

"The battleground for the millennial is fast becoming the vehicle's computing and sensing capability rather than horsepower and torque," said Jeff Owens, Delphi Auto motive's chief technology officer. "The time is close that when we talk about who has the fastest car, we'll be talking about processing power and data speeds, not miles per hour."