Addressing market trends key for interior suppliers

Autonomous cars will have a significant impact on how drivers will spend time in the car, and have the potential to transform mobility. This was the view of Jan-Maarten de Vries, Vice President of Automotive Product Management & Marketing at TomTom, when speaking in a recent Automotive World Webinar.

Autonomous vehicles have the potential to revolutionise the way drivers view the cockpit of a car. It is expected that drivers will be able to ‘reclaim’ time behind the wheel that could be utilized for work or social uses. The car of the future may well be an extension of home or working life, rather than simply a form of travel from A to B.

With the requirement for drivers to have their eyes on the road decreasing as autonomous systems become more advanced, the freedom to move and interact with the vehicle increases. Where consumers may previously have chosen a car based on driving characteristics or exterior aesthetics, the interior is expected to play a key role in end-user decision making.