Technology such as automation, connectivity or electrification alone can hardly push the automotive industry forward rapidly, but the three combined can, according to a business report released on Monday.
The Michigan-based Center for Automotive Research (CAR) predicts that automated, connected, electric (ACE) and shared vehicles are leading to an unprecedented change in the automotive sector.
Many see Telsa as a leader in electric vehicle deployment, and the company is also very aggressive in implementing conditional automated driving technologies, said the report.
Volkswagen has also made ACE technologies a part of their vision by proactively positioning the VW Buzz, based on the vintage VW microbus, as an ACE game-changer for the company.
For these businesses, the opportunity for real cost savings may come when they can eliminate the driver, it added.