Or is it technology companies vs. auto manufacturers?
Bloomberg reports that the Japanese Big Three (Toyota, Nissan, and Honda) are projecting the arrival of driverless cars to be in 2025 — five years after the 2020 deadline targeted by American firms.
The reasons seem to be liability concerns, and the fear of putting a beta product onto the road.
“On an experimental pilot stage, if the automated vehicle is driving a test course, that’s really possible and easy,” Toyota President Akio Toyoda told reporters on the sidelines of the show on Wednesday.
Putting self-driving cars on public roads too early risks a major accident that sets back the development of autonomous vehicles, he said. “The technological advancement would stop suddenly. We have to have a very long-term perspective.”
Originally published at www.davidincalifornia.com on October 28, 2015.
David Silver 