A generation of people who will never own a car, a generation of people that might never have a driving licence and the end of the second hand vehicle market as we know it. These are just some of the scenarios raised by Rupert Pontin, head of valuations at Glass’s in an insight article looking at the future of the automotive market and the rise of autonomous car.

We all know self driving cars are now possible, but how quickly they will become commonplace on our roads and how they will affect the vehicle ownership model is certainly up for debate. Rupert Pontin believes that the technology is now not far away and that it will have a big impact on the way we view our relationship with the car. He points out there is a rising trend for the “Direct Debit” generation to lease vehicles and thinks that autonomous technology will accelerate this. He says, “With an autonomous vehicle it is possible that the manufacturer will retain ownership through the lifecycle of the car with the urban user or users leasing it either solely or as part of a consortium. It is also highly likely that the vehicle lifecycle will reduce drastically as a result.” Pontin adds, “Whether this product ever comes to a second-hand market is a very debateable subject and that spells big changes.”

A situation where people in urban areas never own a car and either lease or use a lease car pools, is a real possibility according to the article, raising big questions about the future of both the franchised and independent motor trade sectors. 

Any thoughts that all this is long into the future are also dispelled by Pontin. He points to the huge investments that car makers, technology providers and governments are pouring into autonomous technology. He also quotes Google’s Director of Vehicles, who is adamant that his 11 year old son will not need to get a driving licence, as evidence that this technology will become very real in a relatively short space of time.