From jet bikes to electric speedsters, the CES debuts that might just fly

There wasn’t quite as much metal to explore as in previous years but the automotive-focused elements of CES 2026 were no less evident, only this time around, the emphasis was on software, not hardware. Auto AI is having a moment, just like the consumer electronics and domestic appliance sector – both see ‘physical AI’ as a way of leveraging the tech into a new breed of smart machines. Regardless of the device, the promises remain the same – safety, convenience and time-saving.

The flipside was a focus on more visceral, entertaining machines, from flying bikes to electric sports cars and new battery tech. Read on to discover the various wheeled, winged and wondrous reveals from CES 2026.

Caterham Project V EV

Caterham brought its Project V EV to CES, following its showing at last month’s Tokyo show. The prototype hopped over the Pacific to take its place among the high-tech content, marking a step up in sophistication for the British sports car maker.

Quite unlike anything the company has built before, Project V’s fresh bout of visibility bodes well for a production version. If that's the case, markets like the US and Japan will be sounded out for their enthusiasm about a return to classic British sportscar values, with a technological twist.

CaterhamCars.com, @CaterhamCarsLtd

Afeela Prototype 2026 by Sony Honda Mobility

The unlikely partnership between Sony and Honda was birthed at CES and seemingly tailor-made for the tech event. After the original Afeela concept debuted back in 2023, the company used last year’s show to reveal the final production form of the Afeela 1. This year saw a glimpse of a second model, the Afeela Prototype.

Previewing an SUV that’ll be along in 2028, the Prototype continues the rather undistinguished bar-of-soap style of the saloon, albeit without the benefit of lower, sleeker proportions. Afeelas are pitched at the premium EV market, so it’s not yet clear if this crossover/SUV can do anything more or better than its sibling. Still, expect to find PlayStation in the interior and all the other audio fripperies you’d expect from a partnership with Sony.

SHM-Afeela.com

Longbow Speedster and Roadster

Another niche British maker looking to America’s tech sector for validation and potential customers, Longbow’s ultra-light EV will be available as both an open-topped Speedster and a sleek Roadster. CES marked the debut of the first production model, with customer deliveries of the 875kg machine due for later this year. Each car will be hand-built in the UK with extensive customisation options and a claimed maximum range of 275 miles. Orders are open now.

Longbow Speedster from £84,995, LongbowMotors.com, @LongbowMotors

Verge Motorcycles

Niche EV motorbike manufacturer Verge has stolen a march on its competitors with an industry first – the first solid state battery to be installed in a bike. Working with Donut Lab, Verge will start shipping its solid state-powered motorbikes in Q1 2026.

The headline figure is the range – around 600km for the long-range version of the bike, with the new battery tech capable of adding 60km of combined range for every minute of charging.

VergeMotorcycles.com, @VergeMotorcyles

LEO JetBike

Later this year you’ll be able to strap yourself in to one of the first commercially available ‘hover bikes’. LEO’s JetBike was revealed at CES ahead of expected first customer deliveries later in the year. The American eVTOL company reckons its compact personal flying machine will be good for an endurance of around ten-15 minutes, during which time brave pilots can reach speeds of up to 60mph at an altitude of around 15ft.

The design, which resembles a gaming chair strapped between two ‘wings’ stacked with electric microjets, is intended to prioritise safety and ease of flying. The JetBike takes up just 6.5 square feet and incorporates a roll-hoop safety frame, should accidental inversion be on the cards. The microjet system avoids pesky finger-snipping propellors and provide an infinitely flexible control surface that allows the JetBike to be flown without a regular pilot’s license.

For now, this is very much in the realm of a fun toy for adventurous landowners (the machine puts out about the same amount of noise as a regular motorcycle). LEO will provide training, of course, but the machine’s stability is largely due to the bespoke in-flight tech.

Next up is the LEO Coupe, a larger machine more akin to the fabled ‘flying car’ – that’ll be revealed later this year.

LEO JetBike, from $99,000, LEOflight.com, @LEOflightcorp

Intelligent cars and automotive AI

The automotive integration of AI continues at pace. Nvidia is going all-in on its new platform, Alpamayo, announcing a partnership with Mercedes at CES and stressing the role its chips will play in future autonomous driving systems.

China’s Geely also announces a big development with a new version of its onboard AI ecosystem, Full-Domain AI 2.0. Geely’s innovation is to bring together a car’s many systems to create what it calls a ‘vehicle general brain’, working in collaboration with Geely’s ‘hyper anthropomorphic emotional agent’, Eva.

As well as high-level conversational AI, capable of understanding commands like ‘pick my friend up from his house and take us to my favourite coffee shop’, Geely’s system also incorporates AI-enhanced self-driving thanks to data crunched from a ‘cumulative 8.5 million vehicles and 10 billion km’. The result, Geely says, is ‘a car that understands, judges and evolves on its own.’

BMW also chose CES to showcase the new iX3 with an upgraded in-car Intelligent Personal Assistant, which now includes Amazon Alexa+. The core abilities here come thanks to Alexa+’s advanced voice recognition, making your voice a more intuitive and natural way of interacting with the iX3.

Queries can be more complex and tap into the car’s other systems, including navigation and entertainment. You can even play I-spy with your car - parents might welcome this machine-based takeover of the world’s most boring travel game, but it’s not exactly going to replace the podcast as the go-to commute entertainment

BMW.co.uk