With its vision of being ‘One Step Ahead in the Future of Mobility,’ Karsan, which plays a pioneering role in the transformation of public transport worldwide, continues to keep its finger on the pulse of the industry and consumers by showcasing its new generation products at the world’s largest trade fairs and events. In this context, Karsan participated in the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2026, one of the world’s largest trade fairs in its field, and introduced its Karsan AI (Autonomous Intelligence) vision to the world at the expo, which provides a platform to showcase the latest innovations and trends in the world of technology.
From electric mobility to smart mobility
Karsan participated in CES 2026—first held in 1967 and organized every January by the Consumer Electronics Association in the U.S. state of Nevada, Las Vegas—as a technology brand shaping the future of mobility on a global scale. The exhibition, which serves as a strategic platform for Karsan to convey its autonomous vision, field-proven technological capabilities, and global mobility approach to the world, also hosted the global introduction of Karsan’s innovative Karsan AI (Autonomous Intelligence) vision. Advancing Karsan’s position in its ‘Electric Evolution’ journey by one step further, Karsan AI represents a holistic approach that embodies the era of smart mobility.
Stating that Karsan AI represents the next phase of the company’s Electric Evolution journey, Karsan CEO Okan Baş said: ‘We call this Karsan Autonomous Intelligence. Karsan AI is positioned as a mobility intelligence that perceives, makes real-time decisions, and continuously learns. The future is not only electric, but also intelligent. This approach demonstrates Karsan’s vision of shaping the future of cities not only by producing zero-emission vehicles, but by delivering autonomous and intelligent transportation solutions.
The secret behind Karsan’s success in autonomy lies in strong collaborations and its end-to-end solution approach. Together with its technology partner ADASTEC, Karsan does not simply offer an autonomous vehicle; it provides a reliable, sustainable, and regulation-compliant end-to-end autonomous mobility ecosystem, extending from the production line to the vehicle’s operation in open traffic. For this reason, cities that choose Karsan receive not just a product, but a reliable, fully integrated end-to-end service solution.“
A technological move in Karsan’s global brand journey
Emphasizing that Karsan conveyed its real-world autonomous experience, its technological know-how, and vision to the global technology ecosystem at CES 2026, Karsan CEO Okan Baş added: “This approach takes our participation in the trade-show beyond an exhibition activity, transforming it into a powerful and strategic technological move on the path to becoming a global brand. With CES 2026, we conveyed our philosophy of approaching mobility with KARSAN AI to visitors from around the world. In doing so, we transformed our exhibition space into a global showcase for our brand’s capabilities at the heart of the technology world.“
Autonomous leadership shaped by real-world experience
Noting that interest in autonomous mobility has accelerated significantly in recent years, Karsan CEO Okan Baş said: “Autonomous public transport is no longer a dream. Today, Karsan’s Level 4 Autonomous e-ATAK model is a solution operating in real life, with real passengers, under real traffic conditions. Between 2021 and 2024, we have implemented a total of seven autonomous projects across Europe and the U.S. during the first three-year period. We carried our first passengers in open traffic in Michigan; in Stavanger, Norway, we launched the world’s first autonomous bus that travels through tunnels, operates in harsh weather conditions, and carries ticketed passengers, and our vehicle is still carrying ticketed passengers there. As we evaluate 2025, we can see very clearly how rapidly interest in autonomous public transport is accelerating. In 2025 alone, we signed 9 new autonomous projects across 7 European countries; 5 of which have already actively been implemented. We launched Europe’s first autonomous airport shuttle in Rotterdam; in Switzerland and Sweden, we introduced these countries’ first autonomous buses carrying passengers in open traffic. In Hannover, we became the first autonomous bus to conduct test drives on public roads with KBA (Kraftfahrt Bundesamt Federal Motor Transport Authority) approval. With this momentum, we will soon reach a total of 16 projects in 12 countries. Today, our goal in autonomous technology is to implement truly driverless public transport systems where the safety driver is completely eliminated, in compliance with regulations. In line with this, we have been offering full-size autonomous solutions for urban public transport in Europe for four years with our Autonomous e-ATAK model, while in North America, we aim to respond to more compact and flexible autonomous mobility needs, which we call on-demand service, with our new model, Autonomous e-JEST.” Okan Baş, pointing to Karsan’s growth in the autonomous field, said, “Autonomous technology is not a short-term testing ground for us, but a long-term journey. Today, we have over 100,000 miles (160,000 kilometres) of autonomous driving experience, carried over 60,000 passengers, and achieved a success rate of 99.5%. This clearly demonstrates that autonomous public transport is both operational and scalable.“
Autonomous e-JEST: The new member of the family
Okan Baş, who considers the Autonomous e-JEST an important step in Karsan’s AI journey, continued: “We have combined the four years of field experience we gained with the Autonomous e-ATAK with the e-JEST, which has become a global reference in urban public transport over the past seven years. We introduced Autonomous e-JEST at Busworld in October and in North America in November. Today, Autonomous e-JEST takes the stage as one of the newest and most powerful members of the Karsan AI family. The first order of 10 units from North America also demonstrates that this approach is resonating in the market. We are moving forward with Autonomous e-ATAK for larger-scale autonomous needs in Europe and Autonomous e-JEST for more compact and flexible solutions in North America. We are scaling this success, proven in Europe, in the US market with the same discipline and long-term perspective.“
Karsan, which aims to bring the success it has achieved in electric and autonomous public transport in Europe to North America with a proven strategy, positions CES 2026 as one of the most critical milestones in this journey. Having successfully completed FMVSS and Altoona tests and entered the US market after approximately five years of preparation, Karsan is now actively operating nearly 200 electric vehicles in North America. The first orders for the Autonomous e-JEST demonstrate that Karsan’s solutions are finding resonance in the micro-transit and on-demand mobility sectors.
Driverless public transport is now on today’s agenda
Referring to the ultimate goal in autonomous public transport, Okan Baş said, “The difficulty of finding drivers and increasing operational costs worldwide are pushing cities towards autonomous solutions. At Karsan, we are managing this transformation in a manner that is compliant with regulations, safe and sustainable. Our goal is to implement truly driverless public transport systems where the safety driver is completely eliminated, in parallel with the development of regulations. Karsan’s AI vision fully represents this future. At CES 2026, as Karsan, we once again delivered a clear message: The mobility of the future will not only be electric; it will also be intelligent, autonomous and add real value to human life. And Karsan will continue to be one step ahead in this future.”
