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The best cars of CES 2020: Fisker, Faraday Future, and Byton M-Byte

Nick Mokey
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This story is part of our continuing coverage of CES 2020, including tech and gadgets from the showroom floor.

Are cars gadgets now, or did CES just turn into a car show? It doesn’t matter: The annual mecca of all things electronic is now crawling with cars. Whether they’re autonomous, electric, or just loaded to the gills with speakers, vehicles of every type are showing up at the Las Vegas Convention Center and we’ve rounded up some of the best Cars of CES 2020.

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Manufacturers are continuing to make announcements as we speak, so keep checking back as the show goes on for the latest CES updates.

<strong>Top Tech of CES 2020: Editors' Pick</strong>
The products in this article were selected by our editors as standouts in the cars category at CES 2020. Check out our Top Tech of CES Awards, which award our favorite products in over ten categories, to see all the hottest gear.
best tech ces 2020 digital trends editors pick
CES 2020

Fisker Ocean

Fisker Ocean's California Mode
Image used with permission by copyright holder

How do you sell an electric SUV in a field that’s suddenly swimming in electric SUVs, from Rivian’s R1S to Tesla’s Model X? California mode. With the press of a button, Fisker’s Ocean drops nine windows — including the rear glass and a monolithic full-length sunroof — to bring the outside in.

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The Ocean also boasts 300 miles of range, and an optional solar roof that can provide 1,000 miles of solar-powered driving a year. A partnership with Electrify America means top-ups at more than 370 charging stations are free. Fisker is also gunning for affordability with a reasonable $37,500 starting price, as well as flexible, app-based leasing that allows you to commit to owning one for as short as a month.

Faraday Future FF-91

Faraday Future FF91
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Remember Faraday Future? The startup took CES by storm a few years back with a design that looked like absolutely nothing else, then quietly lapsed into obscurity as its Chinese parent company burned billions. Just a year later, we suspected Faraday was dead, or maybe never alive to begin with.

But at CES 2020, Faraday Future is back to silence the naysayers, and as the first journalists to get behind the wheel, we can attest that they’re not messing around. Hitting 60 miles per hour in 2.3 seconds, the 1,050-horsepower Faraday Future FF-91 is a rocket ship-like vehicle unlike anything we’ve ever driven. The cavernous back seat could host a cocktail party, and it responds to voice commands like KITT from Knight Rider.

Byton M-Byte

Byton M-Byte infotainment system
Image used with permission by copyright holder

With a 48-inch screen wrapping around the dash, the Byton M-Byte boasts an interior so futuristic, it makes Teslas look downright antiquated. We’ve seen it at CES before, but this year Byton claims it will be hitting public streets (in China) by the summer, and announced a partnership with ViacomCBS for content. Not that you’ll be watching South Park while you drive: The launch model will only support level 2 autonomy. Of course, you can also use it for driving functions, like finding the next EV charging station, or getting real-time weather updates.

Jeep Wrangler 4XE Plug-in hybrid

Jeep Wrangle 4XE plug-in hybrid at CES 2020
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The iconic Jeep Wrangler is known for never straying far from the offroad-first mentality of its 1941 forefather, which makes it an unlikely candidate for a hybrid drivetrain. But it’s 2020, it’s CES, and the Wrangler is finally going electric. Full details on the powertrain aren’t available yet, but we suspect the instant-on torque of electric motors will only make the Wrangler even more of a beast on trails. And hey, it should use a lot less gas getting there.

Follow our live blog for more CES news and announcements.

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Nick Mokey
Nick Mokey
Managing Editor
As Digital Trends’ Managing Editor, Nick Mokey oversees an editorial team delivering definitive reviews, enlightening…
Faraday Future FF91 first drive: Raw power
Faraday Future FF91

There's a moment behind the wheel of the Faraday Future FF91 when it hits you: The sheer shock of 1,050 horsepower, the instant acceleration of an electric motor that can take you from a standstill to 60 mph in 2.3 seconds.

For me, it happened at around 50 mph on the streets of Las Vegas on Sunday, the day before CES 2020 officially kicked off. This is one of the best cars we've seen at the show this year.

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Sony Vision S

If Hyundai can build flying taxis, why can’t Sony build a car? As it turns out, anything is possible at CES, and on Monday evening the Japanese electronics titan unveiled the Vision S, a concept car built to showcase what Sony can do for the cars of tomorrow. This is, of course, one of many of the best cars at CES 2020 this year -- though we didn't expect to see one from Sony.

The electronics brand has dipped its toes in everything from cameras to  8K TVs and everything in between, so it actually isn't all that surprising that they would decide to use CES to jump into the auto industry.

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CES 2020: Fisker talks EV availability, “there’s a lack of choice, quite frankly”
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There’s a chicken-or-egg question that has hung over mass electric vehicle adoption for nearly a decade: Which comes first, EVs in driveways or the charging infrastructure? Consumers are wary of buying an EV without knowing there are plenty of places to charge up, and utilities and private companies aren’t keen on installing public chargers if there aren’t enough electric vehicles to use them.

A panel of industry experts at CES 2020 took on this “painful ramp to electrification,” as Lea Malloy from Cox Automotive put it. She noted at the “Ready. Set. Charge!: An Electrified, Sustainable Tomorrow” panel that consumer’s hesitation boiled down to three things: the cost of the cars, their range, and the reliability of the battery.
More Affordable Options on the Way
Two of the panelists—Henrik Fisker of Fisker Inc. and Olivier Bellin of Canoo—have new all-electric vehicles at CES this year, and both companies are aiming at affordability. The Fisker Ocean can be leased or bought outright for $37,500; the Canoo is only available through a subscription. In either case, costs like maintenance are included in your monthly lease or subscription payment. Bellin sees the trend where “people move from usership to ownership” continuing.

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