IHS Forecasts Nearly 21 Million Self-Driving Cars Being Sold Globally by 2035

IHS sees nearly 21 million autonomous vehicles being sold globally by 2035, the firm said in a Tuesday forecast. “This is a substantial increase from previous estimates, and is influenced by recent research and development by automotive OEMs, supplier and technology companies who are investing in this area,” IHS said. It also based the new forecast “on a wave of recent developments and investments in this sector of the market, as well as activity within various regulatory environments,” it said. The U.S. market is expected to see “the earliest deployment of autonomous vehicles as it works through challenges posed by regulation, liability and consumer acceptance,” IHS said. Deployment in the U.S. will begin with several thousand autonomous vehicles in 2020, but grow to nearly 4.5 million vehicles by 2035, it said. In fashioning a market for autonomous vehicles, IHS “expects entirely new vehicle segments to be created, in addition to traditional vehicles adding autonomous capabilities,” it said. “Consumers gain new choices in personal mobility to complement mass transit, and these new choices will increasingly use battery electric and other efficient means of propulsion.”