Autonomous angst overrated

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Buying a vehicle isn't just about the horsepower anymore. When you go to a car dealer or search online, buying a vehicle today revolves as much around its electronics as it does it mechanicals.

For example, is the car cloud-connected? Is it Apple CarPlay compatible, so you can blast out your road trip playlist? And, thanks to systems like radar cruise control, dynamic steering and the like, will the car be able to handle stop-start traffic with minimum input when you want to kick back?

Vehicles are now smarter than ever, with the broad spectrum of new cars integrating an ever-dizzying array of technology into their design. Transportation is now conveniently tied to your mobile device and there are car-tech relationships blossoming en masse. In 2015 Audi, BMW and Daimler collectively clinched a deal to buy Nokia’s HERE maps. Meanwhile Ford has partnered with Amazon to allow those with the Echo voice-command device to remotely operate a range of functions in their car or home. VW has linked with LG for the same purpose. And of course Google is in the throes of bringing its self-driving cars to market.

Do these partnerships exist in something of a bubble of positivity and love? Perhaps -- the outlook for each looks bright.

But in this increasingly automated sphere we find ourselves asking, where has the passion gone? Will drivers increasingly give scant regard for what’s under the bonnet, instead preferring to focus on the sophistication of their car's software?

And if we drive around autonomously, will we miss out entirely on the sensory connection between us and the car?

Johan de Nysschen, head of Cadillac, spoke for many when he summed up the joy of driving a vehicle.

"You can feel the road surface through the seat and hear the symphony of a perfectly tuned engine… It gives you goosebumps" he said (although we reckon he could not possibly have been driving a Caddy!)

Surely, in this new landscape, BMW would need to reconsider its tagline, 'Sheer driving pleasure'.

In fact fellow German rival Porsche has already shunned autonomous cars, asserting its vehicles are for "purists and those who love driving".

Chris Urmson, head of autonomous cars at Google, defended the technology by asserting that "Driving in adverts is made to look like fun, but really driving is actually mundane."

Shock, horror!

So, we find ourselves reflecting on BMW’s tagline again. If you're not stuck in heavy traffic, such technology could increase the sheer pleasure of driving, could it not? Surely sitting in stop-start traffic isn't really driving anyway!

And what of the safety benefits ushered in with autonomous technology? In a NRMA report titled Accelerating our Smart Transport Future, it's claimed that self-driving vehicles could reduce road fatalities and injuries by up to 90 per cent, while also reducing congestion by reducing collisions.

A safe car promotes the warm, fuzzy feelings of trust and security – feelings paramount in any healthy relationship.

Notwithstanding Tesla’s recent fatal collision, proper fully-functional automated driving technology should also free up time to catch up on news, sleep or to chat to other passengers. Mercedes-Benz has even developed a concept car with four swivelling seats to facilitate face-to-face chats, promoting the social aspect of motoring.

And then there's Faurecia's 'Active Wellness' car seat, designed to reduce stress because it responds to an elevated driver's heart rate by giving him or her a massage. How could your driving pleasure not be enhanced?

Perhaps autonomous cars and driving passion can co-exist after all. Like any good relationship, it all comes down to balance.

Related reading:
Volvo calls for driverless cars in oz by 2021
One in four drivers happy to sleep while autonomous car drives
Mazda drives its own way