Mercedes, BMW walk out of in-person CES participation as Covid cases rise

Mercedes and BMW have become the latest automotive brands to have cancelled plans of in-person participation at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2022, one of the most followed tech events in the world. CES 2022 is scheduled to be held between January 5 and 8 in Las Vegas but the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the US and across the world, with Omnicron variant being sees as highly transmissible, the fate of the event hangs in balance.

According to US media reports, Mercedes-Benz has decided to give the event a miss and may showcase products and innovations through digital means. BMW was expected to showcase a number of innovations which include colour-changing body panels and a high-end vehicle theater system, but will now rely on digital means for these as well.

The German luxury brands join General Motor in opting out of attending CES 2022 in the physical form. Closer to the date, it is expected that other car makers could also follow in the same direction.

Among the major tech companies and brands to have pulled out of CES 2022, or at least skipped in-person attendance, are Facebook, Twitter, Google, Microsoft and Amazon. While the rising number of Omnicron cases are a big worry, it is also reported that with thousands of flights getting cancelled each day, logistics would have been rather difficult as well.

Organizers of CES 2022 have maintained that all precautions are being taken to ensure safety of those in participation. Only fully-vaccinated and properly masked people will be allowed entry and that there will be on-site testing facility as well.