It was said at CES in Las Vegas a few years ago that the arrival of car manufacturers on the stands marked a turning point for this American show for new technologies. A symbol of consumption, the car now carries so much electronics that it has also become a showcase of global technological know-how. This year, VivaTech experienced the same shift.
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Around ten car manufacturers have decided to play the game of new technologies, Porte de Versailles in Paris, for VivaTech, the major French tech event. Outside the show, the Audi cube intrigues, then upon entry, Toyota offers its vision of a new city, Tesla gleams nearby while Peugeot shines brightly a little further away in the stands. The tech event could almost overshadow the Paris Motor Show, smiles the magazine Auto Moto.
In any case, a new enthusiastic public has come to see the cars of the future. “ I think we are experiencing, at VivaTech, what the CES in Las Vegas experienced a few years ago, says Jérôme Micheron, Peugeot product director. Here these are people who love tech, it’s completely new, impressive, it’s vibrant. The people are positive, it’s dynamic and different from car shows. »
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A rectangular steering wheel, shaped like a game console
A playful and curious audience, above all. Many people want to enter the passenger compartment of a Tesla, in particular to discover a European preview of the brand’s latest Cybertruck. This stainless steel electric pick-up weighing almost three tonnes is controlled with a steering wheel steer by wire – the traditional steering column is replaced by an electrical system.
Same technical revolution for steering at Peugeot, with a little more futuristic: the steering wheel becomes rectangular, in the shape of a game console. Called Hypersquare, this new format will be available from 2026 on production models and promises to change behavior.
The Tesla firm has paradoxically always avoided the American CES, but seems to make a French exception. Elon Musk even had a videoconference question-and-answer session with the VivaTech audience.
The automotive sector is increasingly dependent on new technologies. This was already obvious at CES in 2017 with the demonstrations of on-board cameras from Nvidia, a little-known company at the time which had become the world leader in computing and spearhead of AI. But since then, more and more players have entered the dance, particularly in the electric car sector, the real future of mobility for the general public.
This is the case for Chinese companies, which is not without creating tensions, particularly in Europe, a continent which voted to ban thermal vehicles by 2035. A recent European investigation into Chinese government subsidies to its electric car manufacturers could lead to sanctions and curb future exports. No matter, at VivaTech, the Chinese Xpeng announced its arrival in France, with a model competing with that of the Tesla company.
“ The market is progressing, it is inevitable, customers know that they will switch to electric », says one on a stand. Thus, EU sales of electric vehicles, whether fully electric, plug-in hybrid or fully hybrid models, represent 47.8% of all new passenger car registrations in April, compared to 44. 1% recorded a year ago.
A market particularly linked to government aid, but “ it is also the question of the autonomy of the vehicle which is taken into account by consumers “. “ Can I charge my car easily? Is this available? » A whole infrastructure, a real ecosystem around electric vehicles is being built. And which is taking a growing place in tech shows around the world.