Las Vegas will grab car enthusiasts' attention a week ahead of Detroit's auto show this January, as the massive International Consumer Electronics Show shines a spotlight on the $10-billion in-vehicle electronics industry.

The CES show, best known for rolling out the latest in video games, cell phones and software, will this year commit a larger portion of its show to the fast-growing automotive niche.

Some 200 automotive exhibitors will be on display; General Motors Corp. Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner will deliver a keynote address at the show; and BMW will bring its miniature Formula One race track to the United States for the first time.

Wagoner is the first-ever automotive CEO to address the show. Also speaking this year will be Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates and Intel Corp. CEO Paul Otellini.

Show-goers can expect to see future automotive technology, including the latest in navigation, in-vehicle entertainment and in-car Internet connectivity, Consumer Electronics Association president Gary Shapiro told reporters earlier this month at a dinner in Detroit.

"A lot of the home electronics are moving into the car," he said. "Consumers use to compare horsepower; now they are comparing the electronics they want to see."

The 2007 CES show created buzz in the car world as Microsoft and Ford Motor Co. launched the Sync system simultaneously — at the electronics show in Las Vegas and at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

This year, the two shows don't overlap. CES runs Jan. 7-10, while press preview days in Detroit start Jan. 13. With a few days between the shows, CES officials hope to attract more automotive industry insiders and journalists to Vegas this year.

With sales of in-vehicle technologies projected to grow 13 percent next year, automakers and suppliers are taking notice of the niche. CES is dedicating 250,000 square feet of floor space exclusively to automotive technology — equivalent to 40 percent of the space on Cobo Center's main floor.

Among the suppliers at the show will be New York-based Audiovox Electronics Corp., which has its automotive unit in Troy. Audiovox will try to create buzz around an LCD key fob to be introduced in General Motors vehicles this month, Vice President Michael Schroeder said.

The key fob will replace the buttons used to lock doors and pop the trunk with an LCD screen that gets information about the vehicle. From up to 1,000 feet away, drivers can use the gadget to check tire pressure and other diagnostics, activate a remote starter or change radio stations.

The fob will be sold as an aftermarket accessory at GM dealers, and works with a majority of 2007 and 2008 models, Schroeder said.

Focus turns to the consumer

Troy-based Delphi Corp will roll out numerous technical demonstrations, including a vehicle from Chinese automaker Chery Automobile equipped with Delphi electronics. The company will also show new navigation systems, dual-view display screens and enhanced satellite radio.

To promote sponsor Intel's products, BMW will build its Pit Lane Park, which includes a 90-meter track and a replica Formula One pit stop. BMW race cars will conduct stunt displays.

It's no surprise that automakers and suppliers are jockeying to be tops in consumer technology, said Brian Moody, senior road test editor for Edmunds.com.

"A car that may be mechanically better is likely not to get purchased if it doesn't have the desired entertainment and technology features," he said. "Drivers spend a lot of money on iPods and other devices; they want them to work easily in their vehicles."