How the Auto Industry Is Driving Itself Into the Future
Between ride sharing, ride subscriptions, and autonomous vehicles, traveling by car is poised for a big change in the next few years.
Three titans of the auto industry discussed the future of cars on Tuesday at Brainstorm Reinvent, Fortune’s conference in Chicago about innovation in business.
Taking center stage were autonomous vehicles and how legacy carmakers will address the new needs of car owners. If drivers aren’t actually driving, how will drivers — or passengers, more accurately — spend their time in cars and how should cars be redesigned?
Atif Rafiq, Volvo chief digital officer and global chief information officer, said that Volvo is working to make autonomous vehicles into more of a family space than a mode of transportation. “The question was what do you do inside the car?” he said. “We came up with a design that makes the car more like a living room or a bedroom. You have a bed, you can sleep, you have a fridge, you have a place where you can be entertained or be productive, for example, with your work.”
The self-driving future can seem almost utopian when looking at how much free time passengers may gain during their commutes, but issues of safety, insurance, and increased traffic are just as much a consideration.