Tesla CEO Elon Musk arrived in Beijing on Sunday on an unannounced visit, where he is expected to meet senior officials to discuss the rollout of Full Self-Driving software and permission to transfer data overseas, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. Chinese state media reported that he met Premier Li Qiang in Beijing, during which Li told Musk that Tesla's development in China could be seen as a successful example of US-China economic and trade cooperation. The US electric vehicle maker rolled out Full Self-Driving, or FSD, the most autonomous version of its Autopilot software, four years ago but has yet to make it available in China, its second-largest market, despite customers urging it to do so. Musk said this month that Tesla may make FSD available to customers in China "very soon", in response to a query on social media platform X. Rival Chinese automakers such as Xpeng have been seeking to gain an advantage over Tesla by rolling out similar software. Musk hopes to obtain approval to transfer data collected in the country abroad to train algorithms for its autonomous driving technologies, the person said.

After two years without a full-fledged, in-person CES, automotive suppliers and vehicle technology providers – and their customers – are eager for CES 2023, which is just a few months away. Even before a trend of diminishing support for some of the major auto shows around the globe, longtime auto journalist and analyst John McElroy called CES the world's best auto show. And it appears the 2023 version, slated for Jan. 3-8, 2023, in Las Vegas, may maintain that status. Gary Shapiro, president and CEO at Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which hosts the event, recently said that excitement is building, as CTA is expecting attendance to surpass 100,000 people. Of even greater interest to automotive and mobility supplier PR professionals, the automotive technology section of the show's floor is sold out, and in the first week of media registration, more than 1,000 journalists have already signed up.

CES 2022 will put the spotlight on electric vehicles, digital health, the metaverse and other hot technologies when the trade show officially opens on Wednesday. But the resurgent Covid-19 pandemic threatens to overshadow the innovations on display. CES 2022 officially runs Jan. 5-7, but preshow media events begin on Monday. The upcoming show will be a hybrid event with an in-person conference in Las Vegas along with an online component for those who can't attend the physical show. On Friday, organizers shortened the physical show by one day.

AI is now riding in the lap of luxury. Mercedes-Benz just took the wraps off the much-anticipated Mercedes-Maybach GLS SUV -- the largest model under the ultra-luxury brand today. The marquee feature of the vehicle's interior is the MBUX intelligent cockpit, powered by NVIDIA. The debut, which took place at the Guangzhou Auto Show, follows the launches of the automaker's latest performance SUVs -- the Mercedes-GLS AMG 63 and the Mercedes-GLE AMG 63 S -- on the other side of the globe at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Both models will also feature MBUX.

Sort of a German answer to Rinspeed, automotive engineering firm EDAG has a long history of introducing thought-provoking, outside-the-box concept cars, like skeletal 3D-printed light cars and pop-up sports car campers. In recent years, it's been more content contributing to concepts and products from other brands, including Bosch. But it came back with a vengeance at this year's Frankfurt Motor Show, revealing an intelligent, talking autonomous concept car that easily pairs with various modules to perform tasks of all types and sizes in and around urban spaces. "Hello, I am CityBot, the future of mobility in cities. I am happy to answer any questions you may have."

Shot at the New York Auto Show, the new Cadillac Super Cruise includes a driver facing camera. In 2018, drivers asked for hi-tech, onboard cameras and now they're getting them. The New York International Auto Show, open to the public through April 28, is ground zero for next-generation car technology and also home to several vehicles that offer in-car and exterior monitoring systems. From upgraded blind spot cams to facial recognition software installed in the dash, cars on display are equipped with several sets of digital eyes that can improve vehicle security, safety and convenience. Some of the cameras can help propel cars closer toward an autonomous future by enabling the vehicle to see what's around it.

On the floor of the New York Auto Show this week, Genesis showed off its sweet little Mint concept, an electric two-seater with a very abbreviated sedan body. The Hyundai luxury arm does not, however, have any plans to put the adorable thing into production--perhaps because, as we learned this week, getting world-changing tech into the market takes a fair amount of elbow grease. Elon Musk's Boring Company is slowly making its way through the necessary paperwork to make its DC to Baltimore Loop concept a real, live thing. Uber is rounding up the oodles of cash it needs to develop self-driving vehicles. "Flying taxi" engineers are trying to get their concepts past now-nervous aviation regulators.

DETROIT - The Detroit auto show was abuzz over what Ford and Volkswagen would announce Tuesday, after the car giants called off a joint appearance during which they were widely expected to announce an alliance. The two car giants have been in discussions for more than six months over a partnership to develop self-driving and electric technologies. But a source close to the talks said that they had so far only produced a deal over commercial vehicles. A highly anticipated announcement at America's premiere auto show in the Motor City was called off late Monday, and the two sides planned a conference call with reporters instead for the following morning. "We don't have enough details yet to go out in front of more than 500 journalists, so we decided to call it off," Ford spokesman Mark Truby said.

CES has been held in Las Vegas since the beginning of time (actually since 1978 and it started in Chicago way back in 1967) and over those years, many a tech trend has come and gone. Remember the year of IOT (that's every year since 2013, apparently)? TVs, audio players, robots and blinking lights are always a mainstay, but in the past few years, something else has been creeping into the hallowed halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center: cars. It's not like CES was always devoid of vehicles. Audi's had a booth in the North Hall since 2011.

This truck and SUV thing won't let up, will it? This week General Motors announced it would lay off about 14,000 employees, a mix of white collar and factory workers, and it seems the strategy has a lot to do with the automaker's plans to get out of cars. Instead, it will pour money into electric and autonomous vehicle development. And while it waits for those technologies to become really real: more trucks and SUVs! They were all over this weeks LA Auto Show, too, in the form of Jeep's new pickup, Land Rover's new Evoque, and Rivian Automotive's all-electric truck.