More and more, self-driving cars are morphing from fantasy portrayed in futuristic societies to reality. Google's autonomous prototype and California's proposed regulations regarding the testing of self-driving cars on public roads demonstrate the increasing likelihood of self-driving cars becoming a reality for consumers. The Dashboard has previously discussed the pace of self-driving car legislation, NHTSA's statement on driverless car technology, and other technological advancements in, and mandates for, vehicles.
According to a recent survey, 68% of global automotive industry executives expect self-driving cars to be on the market by 2025. As reported here, the annual just-auto survey of its readers suggests that "self-driving cars are set to make a big impact over the next decade." Perhaps more telling, approximately 27% of the survey respondents believed self-driving cars could be on the market around 2020.
Undoubtedly, self-driving cars will face obstacles as they become available on the mass market and their acceptance by consumers remains to be seen. But the fact that many auto industry executives believe self-driving cars will be available for consumers in the next decade demonstrates that self-driving cars are quickly becoming a reality, whether we are ready for it or not.
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