Self-Driving Cars, The Next Revolution

For the past hundred years, innovation within the automotive sector has brought major technological advances, leading to safer, cleaner, and more affordable vehicles. But for the most part, since Henry Ford introduced the moving assembly line, the changes have been incremental, evolutionary. Now, in the early decades of the 21st century, the industry appears to be on the cusp of revolutionary change—with potential to dramatically reshape not just the competitive landscape but also the way we interact with vehicles and, indeed, the future design of our roads and cities. The revolution, when it comes, will be engendered by the advent of autonomous or “self-driving” vehicles. And the timing may be sooner than you think. KPMG LLP and the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) joined forces in developing this white paper to examine the forces of change, the current and emerging technologies, the path to bring these innovations to market, the likelihood that they will achieve wide adoption from consumers, and their potential impact on the automotive ecosystem. Our research included interviews with more than 25 thought leaders, automotive and high-tech executives, and government officials as well as analysis of industry trends. This white paper presents our findings, with an emphasis on the convergence of sensor-based and communication-based vehicle technologies and its implications.