• Car Dealer Plus
No Result
View All Result
  • Latest
  • Used Cars
  • Live
  • Forum
  • Power 2020
  • UCA 2020
  • UCA 2021
  • CDX
  • Knowledge
  • Suppliers Guide
  • About Us
  • Latest Issue
  • Top 100
  • CD Plus
  • Latest
  • Used Cars
  • Live
  • Forum
  • Power 2020
  • UCA 2020
  • UCA 2021
  • CDX
  • Knowledge
  • Suppliers Guide
  • About Us
  • Latest Issue
  • Top 100
  • CD Plus
No Result
View All Result

Ben Garside: Will AI and autonomy be the future of cars?

Car Dealer Magazine by Car Dealer Magazine
October 21, 2019
0
Home News

I SAID last month that the car market was looking a bit stagnant according to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and the Finance and Leasing Association and that the coming holiday season may not help.

This got me thinking – how will the future car market look and will it be changing soon to try to cut costs or evolve?

It’s a thought-provoking question and makes you think of all the futuristic films.


Think of Back to the Future, where everything is artificial intelligence or robotic and cars can hover above other vehicles.

There’s also Tron, where vehicles can’t move off a line and are stuck to a track like a magnet.

With the improvements being made in artificial intelligence and autonomous cars, who knows where we could be in 10 years’ time?

I’d like to think we’ll always have a nice personal and human touch, as at the moment, we can go into our local café or pub and the staff know who we are and what we want, which is what I like, but this doesn’t suit everyone.


I’m sure there are plenty who would prefer to say: ‘Hey Siri. Order my favourite coffee from Starbucks’ while driving their car, and Siri replies: ‘Your latte is being prepared at the nearest Starbucks. Take a left at the next junction.’

If you remember the Back to the Future café scene, the TV screens are talking to Marty McFly, asking for his order.

He asks for a Pepsi and voilà, a Pepsi pops up out of the counter.

In my opinion, this vision is already on its way to reality – just look at McDonald’s touchscreen ordering.

I can’t see it being long until it’s done by voice without staff and served to the customer like a vending machine. Now let’s look at car sales in more depth… Currently in America there is a company called Carvana, an online used car retailer.

You can search for vehicles, buy them online, finance them and also sell and/or trade in your current car.

Once you have purchased your vehicle, Carvana gives customers two options: vehicles can be delivered to them, or they can choose to pick them up at what it calls ‘car vending machines’, of which it currently has 18. This is where it gets different and fun…

I was surprised that like any vending machine, these also take coins – a large Carvana token to be precise (just for show – they still have a meet-and-greet attendant).

You drop the coin in the slot and the machine grabs your car from one of the five levels and places it in an area for you to pick up.

Each car has a seven-day test drive, and customers can return it for any reason within that time frame – because, obviously, you can’t test-drive them when they’re in a vending machine.

But what about further into the future?

Will we be forced to stick to the ground as in Tron, using magnets or something?

Or maybe all the cars will be autonomous, where there are no drivers and everyone needs to go at one speed and you can never be in a rush or take your time.

I can’t see this happening, because if this is the case, it will kill the requirement of supercars for use on the roads and destroy a high number of businesses.

I still like the idea of hoverboards and hovercraft, where we have numerous levels of lanes and can go anywhere. But with health and safety needs, I can’t see this ever happening.

Ben Garside is marketing manager for First Response. Call him on 07817 518739 or email [email protected]

Get more from Car Dealer

  • Premium stories
  • Used car data
  • Magazine early access
Register

Or Sign in

Related Posts

Prince Philip with Land Rover
News

Harlow dealership sold Land Rover Defender that Philip chose to carry his coffin

April 11, 2021
Covid protocols at a car dealership
News

New sector specific guidance released as car dealers prepare to reopen showrooms tomorrow

April 11, 2021
Retailers window
News

April 11 round-up: Retailers ready to reopen; Hairdressers booked for six-weeks; Nasa to fly on Mars

April 11, 2021
Unicorn Autos Eccles
News

Nine cars stolen and four still missing following burglary at car dealership

April 11, 2021
Podcast Jon Reay
News

Car Dealer Podcast: We plan our pre-reg Roller business, talk furlough fraud, and discuss booming sales

April 11, 2021
MG Cyberster
Car News

MG shows off first pictures of Cyberster electric sports car concept

April 11, 2021

Want the latest news?

Sign up to Car Dealer's daily news email updates

Subscribe
Electrified vehicle registrations overtake diesels for the first time in Europe
News

What is stopping car buyers from switching to EV? Our exclusive white paper reveals all

April 8, 2021
How many car dealerships does each manufacturer have in the UK? Car Dealerships Locations List 2021 revealed
News

How many car dealerships does each manufacturer have in the UK? Car Dealerships Locations List 2021 revealed

March 12, 2021
Used Car Awards with Mike Brewer and James Baggott graphi
News

Who won what at the Used Car Awards 2020? Mike Brewer reveals our winning car dealers

March 12, 2021
Used Car Awards 2021 logo
Used Car Awards

Used Car Awards 2021 will be back in all their glory on November 29 hosted by Mike Brewer

March 17, 2021
The Newcomers: Here are the 10 electric car brands coming to a forecourt near you soon
News

The Newcomers: Here are the 10 electric car brands coming to a forecourt near you soon

March 30, 2021
Trophy Cars forecourt
News

Investigation: Meet the hyper-specialist car dealers making their money from weird and wonderful motors

March 12, 2021
Car Dealer Top 100 – The list in full of the most profitable car dealers in the UK
Car Dealer Top 100

Car Dealer Top 100 – The list in full of the most profitable car dealers in the UK

February 10, 2021
BMW, Mercedes, Audi and Volvo, could they be sold under one roof?
News

Multi franchising: Premium brands rule out selling cars alongside rivals in same dealer – as others remain tight-lipped

March 11, 2021
  • Latest
  • Used Cars
  • Live
  • Forum
  • Power 2020
  • UCA 2020
  • UCA 2021
  • CDX
  • Knowledge
  • Suppliers Guide
  • About Us
  • Latest Issue
  • Top 100
  • CD Plus
Call us: 020 8125 3880

© 2020 Blackball Media

No Result
View All Result
  • Car Dealer Plus
  • Latest
  • Used Cars
  • Live
  • Forum
  • Power 2020
  • Used Car Awards 2020
  • Used Car Awards 2021
  • CDX
  • Knowledge
  • Suppliers Guide
  • About Us
  • Latest Issue
  • Top 100

© 2020 Blackball Media

Log In
Register
Register
Server 1