Skip to main content

Car OEMs target 2021 for rollout of SAE Levels 4 and 5 of autonomous driving

New OEM smart mobility divisions, growing safety concerns relating to semi-autonomous driving, and recognition by national governments of the environmental and societal advantages of driverless vehicles will accelerate the deployment of more autonomous forms of driving, according to ABI Research. Its report, The Market Potential for Semi-Autonomous Driving, expects that semi-autonomous systems will continue to dominate the market over the next decade, with SAE level 2 and 3 systems accounting for 86 per
November 23, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
New OEM smart mobility divisions, growing safety concerns relating to semi-autonomous driving, and recognition by national governments of the environmental and societal advantages of driverless vehicles will accelerate the deployment of more autonomous forms of driving, according to 5725 ABI Research.

Its report, The Market Potential for Semi-Autonomous Driving, expects that semi-autonomous systems will continue to dominate the market over the next decade, with SAE level 2 and 3 systems accounting for 86 per cent of autonomous vehicles shipping in 2026. Higher levels of autonomy will gain traction quickly, representing just under one-third of autonomous vehicles shipping in 2030.

James Hodgson, industry analyst at ABI Research believes driverless cars will transform the way mobility is consumed, bringing environmental, societal and convenience advantages to the end user. It also represents a fundamental disruption to the business model that dominated the automotive market for almost one century. OEMs have much to gain in pursuing semi-autonomous operation, maintaining the importance of the driving experience.

However, recent announcements from 1731 BMW, 278 Ford, 2453 Renault-838 Nissan, and 8534 Tesla signal that OEMs are not only looking to introduce higher levels of autonomy by 2021, but are also actively planning to transition from vehicle sellers to mobility providers.

Both Ford and Renault-Nissan launched smart mobility divisions to build on the existing trend of OEM/rideshare partnerships and investments. The divisions also provide a platform for these brands to research and implement autonomous and connected technologies.

Meanwhile, the recently announced Tesla Network details how the brand intends to facilitate peer-to-peer autonomous car sharing, and how participation will impact consumer car ownership costs. ABI Research finds Tesla’s decision to withdraw the level 2 Autopilot system in favour of Enhanced Autopilot and eventually deep learning-based autonomous functionality, consistent with SAE level 4, or even level 5, to be the most concrete example of the shift in industry attitudes toward low level semi-autonomous driving.

“The spread of low-speed traffic jam assist systems to more of the mass market, in tandem with the increasing combination of longitudinal and lateral assistance on highways, will see semi-autonomous vehicles retaining their dominant market share for some years,” concludes Hodgson. “The quasi-universal 2021 target date for the rollout of more highly automated system nonetheless represents a significant acceleration in the autonomous technology market.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Zipcar and Houston launch first of its kind municipal EV car sharing scheme
    August 23, 2012
    Leading car sharing network company Zipcar has announced a new partnership with the city of Houston to launch a municipal electric vehicle (EV) fleet sharing programme, called Houston Fleet Share. Through this initiative, 50 existing city-owned fleet vehicles – including 25 Nissan Leaf EVs – will be outfitted with Zipcar's FastFleet proprietary fleet sharing technology for use by city employees across all departments.
  • Almaviva completes $335m acquisition of Iteris
    November 4, 2024
    Italian group wants to expand its footprint in US
  • Germany is Mad for Vitronic
    April 30, 2025
    Managed Automated Driving project takes place in German city of Brunswick
  • European public transport market expected to reach US$1.9 billion by 2016
    October 25, 2012
    According to a new research report from analysts Berg Insight, the European market for ITS systems for public transport is in a growth phase which will last for several years to come and by 2016 the market value for ITS systems deployed in public transport operations in Europe is expected to reach US1.9 billion by 2016. The report claims the fluctuating economic climate has in most countries had little effect on the market as the public investments which underpin a major part of the ITS initiatives have rem