A passenger uses Uber in Zhengjia Square in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. (Photo/China Daily)
Self-driving trending up
Autonomous driving is one of three widely popular trends in the auto industry, along with electrification and connectivity, and many expect it to soon become a reality.
Lex Kerssemakers, chief executive of Volvo's North American operations, says he expects to see self-driving vehicles on the roads of Beijing or New York in about four years.
Boston Consulting Group predicts that by 2025, vehicles with some autonomous features will account for 12 to 13 percent of car sales globally, and by 2035 sales of fully autonomous vehicles will account for nearly 10 percent of the market.
Li's NextEV expects self-driving cars will be mass-produced in the U.S. by 2020 and by 2022 in China. He also predicts that 20 million such cars will be on roads worldwide by 2025.
While Li is betting big on autonomous driving, several traditional automakers are currently making forays into the mobility industry.
Ford tried a ride-sharing program late last year in China.
The month-long pilot program saw 170,000 rides in Shanghai and Beijing, paving the way for experiments with new patterns of car ownership, said former head of Ford China operations John Lawler.
In May, Toyota said it signed a memorandum of understanding with Uber to look into ways to explore collaboration in countries where car-hailing is expanding.
Volkswagen AG announced a plan in early June to become a globally leading mobility provider by 2025 that will run parallel to its automotive business.
Volkswagen CEO Matthias Muller said the move is based on the trend that more and more young people want mobility solutions but do not want to buy a car.
But Muller does not believe that will develop overnight.
"Volkswagen will remain largely focused on the traditional automotive business over the next 10 to 20 years," he said.
