Ford Trends Report: Waiting for a future with self-driving vehicles
High hopes for 2021
According to the annual Looking Further report, produced by Ford Trends Report, the same pandemic reveals how much people are able to find appropriate solutions to tackle the problems, thus managing to adapt. Not surprisingly, the study conducted on a sample of 13,000 interviews completed from 27 October to 12 November in 14 countries including France, the United States, China, Germany and Italy, analyzed global consumer trends with the aim of understand what any changes are, consequently providing useful data for decisions relating to future strategies. Consumers' hopes are optimistic about the development of self-driving vehicles.Sheryl Connelly, global consumer trends and futuring manager at Ford Motor Company, said:
As we approach the 2021 and we expect a post-pandemic world, it is clear that the changes brought about by the coronavirus have transformed us, but to what extent? Ford and other companies are interested in what changes will remain long after COVID-19 is defeated. While no one can predict the future, that doesn't mean we can't prepare for it.
Sustainability and autonomous driving
After a 2020 that inevitably saw the development of new technologies and green vehicles such as bicycles, among the global consumer trends identified in the report, two decisively emerging issues emerge current. We are talking about environmental sustainability, in order to reduce CO2 emissions, and the development of new technologies that can optimize autonomous driving. According to the report, 67% of adults globally say they are hopeful about the future of autonomous vehicles, with 68% of parents confessing that they prefer self-driving cars for their children.As reiterated, the Covid-19 pandemic has pushed more and more citizens to choose sustainable means of transport such as bicycles, rather than their own cars and public transport. Personal transportation has therefore seen a major increase over this period and the Ford Trends Report itself noted an increase in personal transportation. It is clear that bike sales have reached record numbers, so much so that the largest cities are accelerating the work of optimizing cycle paths. However, even the great Colossus of Mountain View has finally extended the technologies of Google Maps to our country as well, offering the same cyclists greater safety for trips outside the city.
Nevertheless, the concern regarding the environmental situation is rather high. The survey itself showed that the increase in plastic and disposable materials due to the high number of online purchases only increases the concerns of younger generations. In this regard, 47% of respondents said that the pandemic will inevitably have a negative impact on the environment.
