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We’ve remarked before on the increasing convergence of the automotive and consumer electronics sectors. And nowhere was this more evident than at last month’s CES, the global consumer technology tradeshow that takes place every year in Las Vegas.

Vehicle manufacturers and automotive suppliers have been growing in numbers at CES in recent years, but there were so many at this year’s event that one commentator joked it should be renamed the “Car Electronics Show”

Unsurprisingly, there was a heavy emphasis on electric powertrains and autonomy – the twin forces of profound and rapid change in the sector.

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But perhaps more interestingly, there was plenty of evidence of the electronics and automotive sectors working closely together on the development of the advanced human machine interfaces (HMI) that we’ll use to interact with tomorrow’s vehicles.

In this issue’s cover story we take a look at the trends that are driving the development of HMI technology and examine some of the fascinating control and display technologies that could be coming to a car near you soon.