Volvo has no plans to introduce fully autonomous cars in urban areas in the future, saying it believes the partial system it is close to bringing to market is preferable.
“We have no ambition to have a car that could drive in urban environments from A to B,” company CEO Håkan Samuelsson said at the unveiling of the new 40-series concepts recently. “If you’re a normal consumer, is that really what you are dreaming about? We believe more that in a situation where it’s not really fun to drive, you can switch on the autopilot and then sit back and do something else, using that time more productively. That is the product we are developing.”
Volvo will begin a wide-scale trial of its Intellisafe Autopilot next year, with 100 Volvo XC90s equipped with the system being driven on Swedish roads. The company also recently announced that it will be testing the system in the UK next year with a smaller programme in London.
While other manufacturers have said drivers will retain at least partial responsibility for anything that happens when the car is in charge, Samuelsson also said Volvo is determined to stand behind its system. “If you want to be in that market, you have to take that liability,” said Samuelsson. “If you’re not ready to do that then you must do something else. Volvo would not market something you can switch on and then relax if it’s not a redundant system which is absolutely safe and secure.”
Nissan Qashqai previews autonomous tech
Tesla Model X involved in autopilot-related crash in America
Join the debate
Add your comment
is that [fully autonomous car] the system you're dreaming of?
Can I control the car in front?
At last
xxxx wrote:
The people who 'rejoice' that a couple of Teslas crashed while in Autopilot mode think that's the end for autonomous cars. It isn't. It's just one of the natural stages. It's actually a great set of data for Tesla every time one of their cars crashes (tragic as a deaath is) and all other Teslas will become safer every time it happens. When a human crashes a car, other humans learn nothing. That's why two million a year a killed.
Remember, plane crashes have never even nearly meant the end of aeroplanes, even when hundreds die all at once. And for every one autonomous car that crashes, tens of thousands of human-driven cars also crash. Humans can't be trusted to drive cars. They can't even be trusted to drive Teslas on Autopilot and obey the rules about keeping their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. Full and compulsory autonomy is the logical future for cars and these tiny setbacks will make not one jot of difference to that.
No-one rejoices when people die, please be respectful
How much extra are you willing to pay for a "Full and compulsory autonomy" Ford Focus ??? an extra £15,000 maybe.
androo wrote:
If there were any scintilla of sense to your comment that human beings cannot be trusted to drive cars, it would also be evidence that human beings cannot be trusted to design, build and program autonomous cars and an autonomous road network.