Autonomous vehicle optimism undergoes 'reality check'

Not long ago, optimists predicted that fully self-driving cars would be on the road by 2020. Today, top automotive executives are taking a more pragmatic view, as the cost and complexity come into focus and investments are diverted to more pressing needs such as electrification. Another factor slowing the move to fully autonomous cars is that consumers are wary after several high-profile accidents, including a fatal Uber crash and incidents involving Tesla's Autopilot system. A recent Deloitte study found that positive momentum on consumer trust in self-driving cars "has slowed sharply in the past year." Volvo Cars CEO Hakan Samuelsson told Automotive News Europe that developing self-driving cars was "a bit more challenging technically than we originally thought."