| Entry ramp on the road to self-driving cars |
Depending on one’s tolerance for adventure, a ride in a truly self-driving car can be a thrilling glimpse of an inevitable future … or a nail-biting gamble where one is forced to accept on faith the idea that machines can outfox reckless, distracted human drivers.
Judging by survey results that AAA released in February, most Americans would likely fall into the second group. The auto club found that just 22 percent of people believe manufacturers should focus on developing self-driving vehicles.
More telling, however, was the attitude people had toward the fundamental technologies that make self-driving possible: technologies that are largely safety-focused, such as automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping assistance.
Fifty-eight percent of the people AAA surveyed said they wanted such advanced driver assistance systems, or ADAS, in their next vehicle.
Monday’s issue dives into the ins and outs of ADAS; the promises and the potential problems of these increasingly common technologies. Efforts to perfect ADAS systems are making an impression, such as the work that radar companies, including Oculii, are doing to improve sensor resolution. And leaders in the industry are hammering out a common glossary of terms to make the growing number of ADAS technologies easier for the public to understand. Meantime, suites of technologies are coming to market that make it possible to drive hands-free on certain stretches of highway. (Here’s a link to the stories in the section published online so far.)
Yet, with advancements in automation come the dangers of complacency. Questions abound about how far humans can be counted on to handle systems that by nature invite inattention. Such questions, along with high-profile accidents tied to Tesla’s Autopilot, have regulators preparing to step up scrutiny.
Getting advanced driver-assistance systems right is a good way to usher in an age of higher-level vehicle automation— and give humans a reason to trust it.
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In Monday’s Automotive News:
Where motorist and machine meet: Automakers are now deploying advanced driver-assistance systems in a widespread way throughout their lineups. Yet concerns over introducing automation into vehicles while still requiring humans to maintain responsibility for vehicle operations have not dissipated. Tesla’s Autopilot feature has brought scrutiny from federal investigators. But the entire industry still must reckon with the best ways for humans and machines to collaborate, if they should at all. Automotive News takes a detailed look at where we stand with driver-assistance developments.
Is build-to-order the retail path forward? Ford is convinced a build-to-order model is the way to go, both now amid the chip shortage and even after the crisis subsides. Some dealers aren’t so sure. CEO Jim Farley says Ford has more than 139,000 orders in the bank and that build-to-order accounted for more than a quarter of Ford’s retail sales in the third quarter. Retailers are worried Ford has too many build combinations and that, even after the chip crisis is over, customers could be left waiting a while for specific orders. Some analysts also believe the sales model might not work for all vehicles. Automotive News talks with dealers and experts to find out if Ford’s strategy is a way forward, or an experiment that will fade once the inventory crunch subsides.
Weekend headlines
GM removes popular heated seats option from much of lineup due to chip shortage: The automaker will temporarily stop offering heated seats in many of its crossovers and all but the top-end trims of its full-size pickups.
BMW, Audi looking at buying McLaren: BMW is eyeing the supercar business, while Audi is also looking at the Formula 1 racing unit, Automobilwoche reports.
NHTSA reviewing Tesla owner accident complaint: NHTSA said it is looking into a consumer report in early November that a 2021 Tesla Model Y was involved in an accident while using the company’s Full Self-Driving Beta software.
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Rivian reaches the market: The electric truck maker raised about $11.9 billion in the biggest IPO of the year. Shares on its first day of trading rose to as much as $119, but ultimately closed the day at $100.73, giving the startup company backed by Ford Motor Co. and Amazon a market value of $98.6 billion.
NHTSA’s first whistleblower award … and it’s a big one: The auto safety regulator handed out its first whistleblower award, giving more than $24 million to a former Hyundai Motor employee who provided information about safety lapses at the automaker. The award is the biggest ever in a whistleblower case in the auto sector globally.
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A selection from Daily Drive:
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Nov. 18, 2008: General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner in testimony to the U.S. Senate Banking Committee: “What exposes us to failure now is not our product lineup, or our business plan, or our employees’ ability to work hard, or our long-term strategy. What exposes us to failure now is the global financial crisis, which has severely restricted credit availability, and reduced industry sales to the lowest per-capita level since World War II.”