The boom in autonomous vehicles continues

Everything is moving very fast in the automotive market this year. A few weeks ago, we told you about the new models that were presented at the Quebec City Auto Show. Between the Alfa Romeo Giulia, the Audi R8 Spyder, and the 530 xDrive and 540i xDrive sedans, show visitors had plenty to admire. And yet, two months later, a completely different story is making headlines in the automotive market: the autonomous car revolution is underway, with many different players investing in this booming market. The future is now!

Autonomous cars are generating a lot of buzz. In recent months, autonomous cars have been the subject of numerous articles

in all kinds of media for one very specific reason: the accidents in which they were involved. In four years, there have been no fewer than 88 accidents involving autonomous vehicles. Even though a large majority of them were actually caused byhumans, this observation is still cause for concern. However, day after day, we discover that new major groups are deciding to invest in this field. For example, just a few hours ago, Uber and Volvo unveiled a new version of the XC90, designed for fully autonomous driving. And this presentation comes just a few months after the death of a pedestrian, killed in March 2018 by a test vehicle. New developments on all fronts. Beyond Uber and Volvo, who are working together to transform the dream of a fully autonomous car into reality, we are discovering that many other

partnerships now share the same ambitions. Thus, in June 2019,

Hyundai Motor and Kia announced a partnership to invest in Aurora , a company specializing in autonomous vehicles. Its value? $3 billion. Rather Impressive, isn’t it? In concrete terms, the two automakers want both to extend the research to a wide range of car modelsand to build an optimal platform for Hyundai’s and Kia’s autonomous vehicles. For its part, Ford recently decided to partner with Volkswagen to create

electric cars. Well, almost, since we learned this week that negotiations between the two automotive giants “are close to completion.” Finally, we learned a few days ago that, for its part,

Apple is rather determined to go it alone. The Cupertino company is currently looking to acquire the autonomous car company Drive.ai, which has been looking for a buyer since last March. Initially, Drive.ai’s autonomous shuttles could be used to transport Apple employees from point A to point B, while potentially deploying an autonomous car for the general public. A

general public that doesn’t yet feel very concerned But what does the general public think about all this? Well, for the moment, not much, actually. The French, very committed to climate action, as shown by the enthusiasm surrounding

Earth Day each year, are currently more interested in the development of electric cars, which contribute more to environmental protection, than in the rise of autonomous cars, which nonetheless hold a certain fascination for them.Thus, a recent survey conducted by the consulting firm Capgemini

reveals that 56% of respondents say they are willing to pay up to 20% more to have an autonomous car, mainly to be able to talk more with other passengers in the vehicle (63%) or to be able to rest (45%). In this respect, it’s clear that the general public has Awareness that self-driving cars could improve their daily lives, even if they don’t currently see them as a priority. Moreover, 70% of those surveyed have concerns about the safety of these innovative cars. It is primarily young people who are tempted by self-driving cars, with a large proportion of them saying they are ready to use them right now. Will self-driving cars gradually become the norm?

Yet,

Jean Todt, president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA),says himself, we are still “far from the self-driving car.” He told AFP on the sidelines of the Monaco Grand Prix. For him, the problem lies in the fact that developing countries currently have the highest number of road accidents. However, while self-driving cars are intended to put an end to these various accidents, the fact is that they will certainly take a long time to find their place in these countries. In any case, slowly but surely, self-driving cars are making their way into our lives… and onto our roads.