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ADVANCES in ‘semi-autonomy’ – features that help handle tricky or tiresome driving situations but still require a driver’s oversight – have sparked a high-tech automotive arms race, with car companies vying to launch the most advanced features.
Automakers hope these will, over time, help drivers and regulators get over fears of riding in vehicles that accelerate, steer and stop themselves, making potentially life-or-death judgements.
Shorter term, car companies want these features to make driving more convenient – and cars more profitable. “People like features that make driving easier, safer and more fun,” says Joseph Vitale Jr, who heads global automotive consulting for Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. “The question is what customers will pay for them.”
Among the biggest winners for now are the companies that produce electronic sensors, cameras and software that make self-driving features possible. The growing list includes the high-tech units of traditional automotive suppliers such as Germany’s Continental AG and consumer-technology giants Google, Apple, Samsung, Sony and more.
A big step in that direction was the traffic-jam assistance feature on the 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Now available on more Mercedes models, the Intelligent Drive system allows the car to drive itself at low speeds in traffic jams, freeing the driver from constant braking. BMW, Honda, Hyundai and others have or will soon introduce similar features.
* See Dubai Motor Show special, and Motoring Weekly
