QUICK SUMMARY
Both Nvidia and qualcomm are making big moves in the automotive technology space. Their latest developments in autonomous driving and car connectivity were on display at CES 2026 - and they’ll be on the road sooner than you think.
Both Nvidia and Qualcomm used this year’s CES tech show to reveal new vehicle technologies that aim to improve both autonomous driving and car intelligence.
Whereas previous years have felt swamped by pie-in-the-sky claims about fully self-driving vehicles being just around the corner – a claim that’s now getting on for a decade old – the focus was instead on a more grounded near-future.
This was aided by both tech firms announcing partnerships with others.So rather of showing off a concept of what might be theoretically possible one day, Nvidia revealed plans to debut its Drive AI software on the new Mercedes CLA. On the same day, Qualcomm said its new Snapdragon Elite automotive platforms will arrive on the D19 electric car from Leapmotor, part of the Stellantis vehicle group.
Here’s a closer look at what both tech giants announced for the automotive at CES 2026:
Nvidia also said at CES 2026 how its new Drive AV tech should arrive on US roads by the end of 2026, starting with the Mercedes CLA – which was just crowned European Car of The Year. Nvidia said its new tech will leverage artificial intelligence to “turn every car into a living, learning machine.”
The tech company added: “Nvidia Drive AV uses an AI end-to-end stack for core driving, alongside a parallel classical safety stack – built on Nvidia Halos safety system – that adds redundancy and safety guardrails. As an inevitable result, vehicles can learn from vast amounts of real and synthetic driving data to assist drivers in safely navigating complex environments and scenarios with human-like decision-making.”
This all sounds promising, especially sence Nvidia describes the new tech as enabling “advanced level 2 automated driving,” instead of reaching for the stars and claiming level 4 or level 5 – the latter being practically mythical at this stage. Automated parking in tight spaces is also touted as a potential feature, along with improved active safety systems. There’s no definitive word on when the tech will arrive, but I’d expect to see elements of it roll out to the Mercedes CLA via over-the-air software updates through the coming year.
Qualcomm and Leapmotor debut world-first automotive central computer
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Qualcomm is at the forefront of a shift toward centralized computing and software-defined vehicles (SDVs), delivering the world’s first mass-produced multidomain integrated solution, according to a statement from the company. Their Snapdragon Elite automotive platforms are driving this evolution, bringing advanced technologies to a wider range of automakers and consumers. “We are proud to help deliver the world’s first mass-produced multidomain integrated solution and to see our Snapdragon Elite automotive platforms driving the industry toward central computing and SDVs – bringing advanced automotive technologies to more automakers and consumers,” said Duggal, a Qualcomm representative. The Volkswagen group and Qualcomm signed a Letter of Intent earlier this month. qualcomm will provide infotainment and connectivity technology powered by Snapdragon chips for Volkswagen vehicles. This collaboration signifies a growing trend within the automotive industry, where automakers are increasingly relying on specialized chipmakers like Qualcomm to develop and integrate complex systems. Consumers looking to upgrade their in-car entertainment systems can find current deals on CarPlay head units from various manufacturers:Volkswagen Partnership
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