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Driverless cars and possible future impact – who will be affected?

Self-driving cars are here and Apple, Google, Tesla and the rest want them to stay and for the market to grow. But what does this mean for the future of the automotive industry?

We take a look into the not-too-distant future at the hypothetical situation in which driverless cars become the norm and how this change would impact the world around us. Strap on your seatbelts because our list of changes and disruptions may be more far reaching than you might have expected.

Everything from the design of our homes and roads to completely changing our lifestyles – it’s all set to change if / when driverless cars become the new norm.

 

Just some of the knock-on impacts of a potential driverless car phenomenon:


Ownership vs. PAYG vs. Finance

  • First and foremost, private ownership of cars may no longer be as common as it is today. As booking an uber or lyft has already decreased this need, the prospect of booking a driverless uber-style car (or paying a monthly subscription to have access to one) could make owning your very own driverless car an unnecessary luxury for some. Instead, driving could become a leisure activity – something more about the manual driving experience rather than the benefit of getting from point a to point b. This, in-turn, is sure to impact what we look for when buying a car.

Learner Driver Rules

  • Potentially, learning to drive becomes obsolete and only those that want to drive on tracks or as a hobby take their tests. Alternatively (and perhaps more likely initially), the driving test will be overhauled to include a section dedicated to the ‘management’ of a driverless car.

Car Design

  • As we do away with a manual driver, the absence of pedals or a steering wheel will alter the interior design of vehicles. Without the need for manual driving parts such as the steering wheel or manual labour (i.e. a fixed seat position for the driver), in-transit car services will increase with fleet owners diversifying their range with WiFi, a selection of beverages, high-quality sound systems and other entertainment options to set their brand apart from the rest.

Infrastructure Changes

  • With the advanced technology being built into driverless cars, traffic lights and signs could become obsolete as cars use data and GPS to make the appropriate journey decisions within split seconds. Car parks could also completely change to become automated, space-saving solutions like the example below.

 

An example of this already in action. Space-saving solutions like this would become even more simple to implement:

Energy Consumption & Congestion

  • The energy efficiency of driverless cars could drive down the demand for petrol, as driverless cars are also likely to be electric. This would shift our power needs in general to accommodate for a greater need in electricity to recharge these self-driving machines.

    Considering self-driving cars can navigate more efficiently, it would also be likely that roads would experience less congestion and traffic. This could lead to less road tax, repairs and road maintenance needed.


Manufacturing

  • As self-driving cars become safer or even accident free, car manufacturers and engineers will be able to do away with the bulky safety features of the past such as airbags and crumple zones allowing for cheaper production costs and lighter, more efficient vehicles.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, many of these changes will have deep ripple effects throughout society and the economy. However, there’s no need to stress about the distant future just yet – tackle the challenges of the next 5 to 10 years and keep the distant future in your back pocket to ensure your automotive marketing strategy can ebb and flow with the changes in the industry as and when needed.

 

Dealerships can get ahead of the game by communicating the forward-thinking R&D the dealership is undertaking. For example, revealing concept cars of the future through communications such as a section on your website, within a brochure, an event or after sales materials. This way you’re sure to impress those early adopters looking to stick with a dealer that will keep them informed first about the latest models available.

 

At AG Automotive, we specialise in helping automotive businesses deliver personalised, data-driven, automated marketing campaigns and initiatives to improve lead generation. To find out more, visit: https://automotive.alphagraphics.co.uk/