Chinese People More Willing to Embrace Self-Driving Future Than Americans

(Bloomberg) -- More than half of Chinese consumers can’t wait to get out from behind the wheel and into an autonomous car.

That makes China more positive than most about driverless vehicles, with western consumers cooler on the technology, according to a survey of more than 5,000 people by the Capgemini Research Institute. In contrast to China, respondents from the U.S. and the U.K. are the least excited about the prospect of giving up the driver’s seat, with just over a third feeling positive about automated cars.

“In China, but also in other Asian countries, we are seeing more excitement about ‘the new’ generally,” Markus Winkler, global head of automotive at consultancy Capgemini SE, said in an interview. “The acceleration in the last few years comes from the government as well.”

Chinese authorities have ambitious goals for the roll out of autonomous vehicles in the country. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued its “Internet of Vehicles Development Commission” late last year, which sets 2020 as a milestone for transitioning from pilot tests to large-scale adoption of autonomous vehicles. The number of Chinese companies with testing permits for self-driving cars has rocketed from zero to 35 in the last 18 months, according to a report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

One in two

Over half of respondents surveyed globally said that an autonomous vehicle would be their preferred mode of transport within the next five years, with most willing to pay a premium of as much as 20 percent for a self-driving car compared to a standard one.

Recent investments and growing awareness of the technology has helped make consumers more positive about adopting autonomous vehicles, said Winkler.

Elon Musk described autonomous-driving technology as “transformative” to Tesla Inc. in an investor call last week, while other established automotive companies like Honda Motor Co., Ford Motor Co. and Volkswagen AG are ramping up investment in driverless technologies. General Motors Co.’s self-driving unit this week drew $1.15 billion in fresh investment, valuing GM Cruise LLC at $19 billion.

Still, many consumers remain concerned about safety of autonomous systems with seven in 10 Americans stating they don’t want to go anywhere near driverless vehicles, according to a survey by the American Automobile Association. Last year, a test car operated by Uber Technologies Inc. killed a pedestrian in Arizona.

“With every crash that we will see it will have a direct effect on this kind of adoption” said Winkler. “Definitely safety should be a focus point” for the carmakers.

--With assistance from Elisabeth Behrmann.

To contact the reporter on this story: Lucca de Paoli in London at gdepaoli1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Anthony Palazzo at apalazzo@bloomberg.net, Elisabeth Behrmann

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