While automotive technology has not traditionally been a core feature at South by Southwest, the annual festival in Austin has, in many respects, been an innovator in finding ways to get people around town. From SXSW shuttle busses, rickshaw-inspired pedicabs and the proliferation of scooters and motorized bicycles, the City of Austin, and South-By in particular, have always made festival navigation relatively simple. For starters, the conference features a dedicated mobility track with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg speaking on Wednesday. A full lineup of panels covering topics like last-mile mobility, the hyperloop, autonomous vehicles, EVs, electric bicycles, personal air vehicles, delivery, drones, and commercial space travel are also featured. For the first time this year, a major part of the conference will feature the involvement and participation of multiple automotive manufacturers.

Volkswagen's new I.D. Buzz concept is a self-driving, battery-powered minivan with a style that hearkens back to the Type 2 "Microbus" of the 1950s and 1960s. The very green machine can go 270 miles on a full charge and also sprint to 60 mph in 5 seconds, thanks to the combined 369 horsepower of its front and rear electric motors. When its autonomous I.D. Pilot mode is engaged, a rectangular, spokeless steering wheel tucks away into the dashboard as small disc-shaped laser scanners rise up from the four corners of the roof. This LIDAR system works along with cameras, ultrasonic sensors and cloud-connected navigation to take full control of the vehicle. The three-row interior allows for both front captain's chairs to be turned toward the rear of the vehicle when it's doing the driving to create a lounge space, complete with a central table.