Skip to main content

Level 4/5 autonomous driving will be possible in the next five years, says research

Growing consumer preference for convenience-enhancing technologies and automobiles-as-a-service options helped double the adoption of vehicles with automated driving features in 2016, says Frost & Sullivan’s mobility team. Going forward, large-scale investments from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) will refine the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and cognitive cloud-based technology solutions even further, enabling level 4/5 autonomous driving within the next five years. Retrofitted automated driv
May 9, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Growing consumer preference for convenience-enhancing technologies and automobiles-as-a-service options helped double the adoption of vehicles with automated driving features in 2016, says 2097 Frost & Sullivan’s mobility team.


Going forward, large-scale investments from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) will refine the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and cognitive cloud-based technology solutions even further, enabling level 4/5 autonomous driving within the next five years. Retrofitted automated driving solutions and deployment in shared mobility (taxi) platforms will experience robust growth.

“With the introduction of automated driving taxis to support shared mobility business models, the commercial entry of level 4 vehicles is expected by as early as 2020,” said mobility senior analyst Anirudh Venkitaraman. “In the European and North American markets, the introduction of level 3 automation by 2018, driven by over-the-air updates from 8534 Tesla, will strengthen the initial take rates for the technology. Pilot offerings from 2125 Audi, 1731 BMW, and Mercedes-Benz will soon follow, taking the product into the premium market.”

The report, Global Autonomous Driving Market Outlook 2017, finds that the global autonomous driving market will be worth US$83 billion by 2025. The study examines the top trends in the automated driving market, including developments like growing usage of driver assistance, new solutions, robot taxis, cognitive cloud computing, and adoption of mechanical light detection and ranging (LiDAR) for perception improvement.

“Concerns surrounding legislation, system reliability issues, and incompatible infrastructure limit the opportunities for OEMs looking at automated driving,” noted Venkitaraman. “Nevertheless, the journey from human-operated to completely autonomous cars is a progression, and pioneering semi-automated vehicles will be an important milestone toward achieving level 5 automated vehicles.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • European market for EV charging stations expected to grow
    May 31, 2013
    New analysis from Frost and Sullivan, Strategic Technology and Market Analysis of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure in Europe, finds that the market for electric (EV) charging stations is expected to grow rapidly from 7,250 charging stations in 2012 to over 3.1 million by 2019 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 113.3 per cent over the period 2012-2019. France, Germany, Norway and the United Kingdom are expected to lead the market due to the high adoption rates of EVs in these countries.
  • Collision avoidance systems market ‘worth US$50.38 billion by 2020’
    December 2, 2015
    New research from MarketsandMarkets claims that the collision avoidance systems market is expected to grow from US$31.19 billion in 2014 to US$50.38 billion by 2020 at a CAGR of 7.74 per cent. The report, Collision Avoidance Systems Market by Device, Technology, Application (Automotive, Aerospace, Railway, Marine, and Construction & Mining), and Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW) - Global Trend & Forecast to 2020, says the market is expected to be driven by the growing focus of consumers
  • Study: Daimler, Audi, BMW, GM lead on autonomous vehicles
    October 20, 2015
    A new Leaderboard Report from Navigant Research examines the strategy and execution of 18 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), including company profiles and rankings, to provide industry participants with an objective assessment of these companies’ relative strengths and weaknesses in the developing autonomous vehicle market. The report, Navigant Research Leaderboard Report: Autonomous Vehicle OEMs, examines the strategy and execution of 18 global vehicle manufacturers that are involved in the emerg
  • Sorting myth from reality in vehicle automation
    June 2, 2016
    Bob Denaro looks beyond the hype surrounding autonomous vehicles to the challenges that still need to be overcome. Automated vehicles (AVs) may be the perfect storm – in a positive way - with the automobile manufacturers, the government and consumers all embracing the emergence of a transformational new technology and product.