While some car companies are looking to build fully-autonomous vehicles that can handle both highway and urban environments in the near future, Volvo is apparently steering clear of the latter. According to Autocar, the company believes that the average customer doesn’t want a car that will drive itself in the city.
“We have no ambition to have a car that could drive in urban environments from A to B,” said CEO Håkan Samuelsson. “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.”
These comments come ahead of Volvo’s planned trial of its Intellisafe Auto Pilot system, as part of its Drive Me initiative, that is slated to kick off next year – the company will be providing the public with 100 XC90s fitted with the system, which will be tested on selected roads around the company’s home city of Gothenburg, Sweden. A smaller programme in London will also be conducted.
Volvo’s approach to autonomous driving is a little different from those of other carmakers – while some have stated that drivers will retain at least partial responsibility if anything untoward happens in autonomous mode, Samuelsson claimed that Volvo was determined to stand behind its system.
“If you want to be in that market, you have to take that liability,” he said. “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.”
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Too much bright sunlight (during summer) and lori puteh in Sweden, thats why they cancel autopilot. Sked kirr pipu
In Malaysia, Proton also got autopilot. Automatically, the CEO will go to LHDN or the Government every 6 months and beg RM1.5 billion of our money to keep the company alive.
This is our autopilot.
I have said that earlier on.
Vast majority of us, if not all, will not want an S-class or 7-series which drives itself. We will switch it off and get a driver. We rest peacefully at the back; peace of mind, with a good driver.
Smart move.
Better 4 them to move away from this system,
If not anything happens base on this system will get HEAVY law suit line up! Unless Volvo will to compensate at all cost.
Cities are fun to drive? Unless you are Ken Block, I suppose no.
It’s country backroads that are fun, and highways (though highways can be a chore too). It’s fun driving fast on the highway.
IMHO people living and working in urban environment knows darn well how peak hour traffic is like and how helpful it would be if the car was autonomous. I guess he’s subtly reminding us that the technology isn’t matured enough to take on urban traffic, especially when pedestrian is involved. If not he wouldn’t had stressed the word LIABILITY.
i dunno if he think driving in the city traffic jam is a situation where it is fun to drive.
it is just the other way to say the tech is not yet up to the standard yet.
I agree with Volvo. Whats the purpose of autonomous driving. It is too risky, computer might fail or jammed as we know it.
Anyhow it is reasonable to use autonomous driving during traffic jams (this is when situation is NOT fun to drive) The car is moving slow, surround by cars, not much could go wrong compared to when cruising above 60km/h on Federal highway where anything could go wrong, inconsistent lane markings, deep potholes, road constructions, flood! & etc etc.
Volvo…Bitch slapping all car manufacturers since day 1. Kudos Volvo for making people safety first priority!
There’s just too much variables in an urban environment and the rest have been pouring money only to find out that although computers have come a long way, it lacks the logic of the human brain. Everything is calculated based on percentages.
For example, if it deems that that jaywalking pedestrian must be avoided at all costs due to its programming so it decides to ditch the car into a pole which may kill the driver. I’m sure none of us want to be part of an odds for a computer.
I fully support fully autonomous PUBLIC transport systems with human observation at present(infact our KJ Line is a good example) but we still are some way off where every private cars on the road can be autonomous on urban roads..the tech and the supporting infrastructure is just not there at present. volvo is just doing what it knows best.being pragmatic..a highway has less variables
I agree with Volvo.
BTW how many actually use the Auto Cruise function in our cars while in the highway?
I use it everyday actually.