Much has been made of millennials’ muted interest in car ownership. The rise of ride-hailing services, the wide availability of public transport in urban environments, lower disposable incomes, and the much-discussed preference for ‘experiences’ over possessions may all be to blame.
There is one conclusion that it might be tempting to draw from this, particularly for older generations who despair for younger mind-sets: that it won’t matter what tomorrow’s fleets of shared, self-driving vehicles will look like. According to such thinking, Millennials and Gen Z-ers will not mind if little more than a tin box on wheels picks them up, so long as it gets them to their yoga class or their avocado brunch bar on time.
The most radical changes will happen inside the vehicle, as the third lived environment beckons. A number of concepts demonstrate the endless possibilities which automakers might have to provide, from fully functioning offices, to leisure spaces, to transportation for the mobility-impaired
Were it only that simple, sigh the automakers. The truth is that the advent of autonomy will make the design challenge more sophisticated than ever. Mobility service operators, including those run by automakers, will still require aesthetically pleasing concepts to help them stand out from competitors.
Given that these services are shared, exterior designs must appeal to the greatest number of people whilst enforcing a brand: to date, automakers have left certain elements of the design challenge up to the customer through high levels of customisation, a luxury they may not enjoy in future as private ownership levels continue to fall. All the while, outward appearance must also instil confidence in passengers who have surrendered the driving task to a robot.
But the most radical changes will happen inside the vehicle, as the third lived environment beckons. A number of concepts from the likes of Yanfeng, Volvo and others demonstrate the endless possibilities which automakers might have to provide, from fully functioning offices, to leisure spaces, to sleeper vehicles for long distance journeys, to transportation for the mobility-impaired. The automotive industry of the future will have more in common with its aviation counterpart, with modular approaches appealing to a wide variety of customer needs.
The advent of autonomy will make the design challenge more sophisticated than ever. Mobility service operators will still require aesthetically pleasing concepts to help them stand out from competitors
Achieving this whilst looking good doing it will require a Herculean effort from the automotive industry: a change in mind-set so fundamental that the end result is unlikely to look much like what we call a car today.
Luckily, its best minds are already at work, and in Automotive World’s latest special report, Designing the autonomous vehicle, leading industry stakeholders share their insight, from independent designers and automaker stylists to those launching microshuttles and autonomous trucks and others with a vested interest in the successful deployment of autonomous vehicles.
