Semi-Autonomous Driving Available in 10% of New Cars in 3 Years, Says Report

The market for semi-autonomous driving functionality is “growing, albeit slowly,” said a Monday Canalys report, saying just 3 percent of new passenger cars sold in the U.S. in Q3 had the feature. The combination of adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist has been available for a few years, but adoption is low due to limited availability as an expensive add-on in select versions of luxury vehicles, said analyst Chris Jones. The feature works only under certain road, speed and weather conditions and requires a driver’s full attention, Jones said, noting many systems “do not deliver a smooth drive,” making it less likely drivers will use or recommend it. Tesla had a third of the semi-autonomous passenger car market in Q3, due largely to success of the Model 3 with autopilot, and Nissan offers it in new Altima, Leaf and Rogue vehicles, Jones said, predicting uptake will continue to increase steadily over the next two years. Canalys forecasts 10 percent penetration in new passenger cars sold in the U.S. in 2021, ramping as the cost of lidar and other key components falls, enabling more OEMs to design in the feature.