Autonomous Driving in Germany

Since the beginning of the 2000s, Automated Driving Systems have become increasingly important as they will in the future offer drivers both more safety and more convenience. Ultimately, all the research and development activities of the automotive and technology groups relating to Automated Driving Systems are aimed at introducing autonomous vehicles. Since Waymo's start for developing self-driving cars in 2009 as well as the increasing emergence of app-based mobility service providers such as Uber, Lyft & Co. in the early 2010s in the U.S., the pace for developing Automated Driving Systems has increased considerably - and a higly competitive race for launching the world's first autonomous vehicle has already evolved.
However, what does the customer think about all these developments? To what extent is he prepared for these technological innovations or is he even demanding autonomous vehicles at all? Due to the sensational media coverage and the euphoric pre-announcements of the automobile and technology companies, the authors of this book have set themselves the task of bringing more realism into the overall discussion. In a historical outline they describe the development towards autonomous driving, provide insights into the current state of development as well as selected future visions of major market players. However, special attention is paid to the attitudes and preferences of future users with regard to automated and autonomous driving. In addition to an assessment of whether the customer would like to drive autonomously at all, the study examines which benefit components he mostly values and how the market launch process should be preferably structured, taking customer preferences into account. Based on this, a number of suggestions and recommendations for action are developed, how the speed of adoption and diffusion of autonomous driving can be increased by intelligent activities of the automotive industry.