Consumers Are Ready for Self-Driving Cars, Says New Research

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by Eugenia Romanenko · 3 min read
Consumers Are Ready for Self-Driving Cars, Says New Research
Created as a 'self-driving luxury sedan,' the futuristic oddity is Mercedes-Benz’s F 015 Luxury in Motion Concept which takes on how cars will look and operate in the year 2030. Photo: Mercedes-Benz

According to the World Economic Forum that conducted an extensive study on how people perceive autonomous cars, the world is ready to give driverless vehicles a try!

Just imagine… You’re relaxed in your car while it is taking you where you want to go without requiring your actions. Undoubtedly, autonomous cars are able to tickle our fascination.

In fact, according to the latest survey conducted by the World Economic Forum and the Boston Consulting Group, consumers are ready to try self-driving cars. The research included either focus groups in Singapore, Berlin, and London, or online surveys with city dwellers in 10 different countries.

Infographic by Statista

Infographic by Statista

So far, the study’s authors were surprised by the number of those who wanted to buy autonomous cars. However, it’s necessary to mention that the respondents were city inhabitants. That’s why the main reason of such interest is the fact that drivers don’t need to park their autonomous vehicles.

Well, automakers and Silicon Valley seam to work hard on the matter. So far, in November, Ford became the first carmaker to start using the newly opened Mcity, a city center space in Michigan, created just for testing autonomous car technology. Recently, Peugeot Citroen self-driving prototype completed a 3,000 km round trip crossing the French border for the first time and passing through Madrid before returning to Paris via pubic roads with little or no driver involvement, reads CTV News.

“[It provides] another challenging, yet safe, urban environment to repeatedly check and hone these new technologies,” said Raj Nair, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development. “This is an important step in making millions of people’s lives better and improving their mobility.”

“I am proud to see the autonomous vehicle developed by our teams in the Paris region technical centers crossing borders in Europe,” said Gilles Le Borgne, Executive Vice President, Research and Development for PSA Peugeot Citroën. “This technological feat is a critical step towards shaping the mobility of the future.”

In contrast to that, Handelsblatt BMW CEO Harald Krüger says that the company is not going to produce autonomous cars until they are 100% reliable, reads Ubergizmo.  

According to Juniper Research and research firm IHS, the leader in terms of test miles covered and technological developments is Google.

“No other company has as much relevant technology to advance autonomous driving software,” said Egil Juliussen, PhD., senior research director at IHS Automotive. “Google is in a unique position to leverage adjacent technologies for developing self-driving car software.”

So, believe it or not, we’ll soon be able to enjoy autonomous cars. Wall Street Journal reads that by the year 2020, Nissan, Toyota, and Honda plan to roll out their first driverless cars that bring either revolutionary improvements in transportation or new challenges. In fact, the most important feature to look into is safety. If this appealing technology is reliable, it’ll find its fans eager to give it a try.

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