The notion that autonomy could be a threat to supercars has been around for some time now. The fear is that the emerging technology will change the way people use vehicles and, therefore, have a knock-on impact on the biggest brands in the space, like Ferrari and Lamborghini.
But whether this risk is existential remains to be seen. While autonomy is likely to affect the car industry in numerous ways, it is unclear if its effect will be moderate, large, or small.
Why Autonomy Might Be a Problem for Supercars
The primary issue with the growth of autonomy for supercars is the loss of the driving experience. Drivers are no longer in control of their vehicles if computers are doing all the work.
“Many people imagine that cars will become clinical, functional and sterile in the future, once autonomy takes over,” MPH Club says.
“Exotic car rental isn’t quite as exciting when computers are doing everything in the background for the driver. However, there’s no way manufacturers themselves will give their vehicles entirely over to machines.
“After all, their customers often want a raw driving experience, which is why they already provide options to turn various driving assistance features off for the track.”
There’s also a worry that autonomy will lead to reduced exclusivity. Supercars are indicative of wealth and success. But if the autonomous vehicle revolution does occur in the next few years, the situation could change substantially.
The idea that car ownership is something aspirational could disappear, and supercars along with them, as mass-market companies deliver identical units for the growing city-based audience for their self-propelled vehicles.
“You could level this criticism at supercars today,” MPH Club explains. “Already, people can go out and rent vehicles for a few hours or days and drive around in them as if they own them.
“This doesn’t make them any less exclusive. It simply advertises the experience to more people, increasing the value of these vehicles even further.”
The final criticism of autonomy on supercars is that it simply isn’t sufficiently advanced to control them in the way people expect. Computers can’t handle high-performance situations, mainly because there’s no training data on them.
But again, this criticism is quite weak. Drivers going for track days are unlikely to want their vehicles to do everything for them. Instead, they’ll want to shift over to manual control.
If there are fully autonomous systems on these vehicles, they will likely be for cruising down highways or parking into tight spots without scratching the paintwork.
Why Might Autonomous Vehicles Explode in Popularity?
On the contrary, there are also several reasons why supercar manufacturers go all in on autonomous vehicles. The technology could, in many ways, enhance their existing products.
For example, autonomous systems could improve the safety of their supercars. At present, many high-performance vehicles have a negative reputation for keeping drivers safe (particularly those that are more track-focused).
AI systems, therefore, could actively sense danger and take action to prevent it before vehicles skid off the road.
“You can imagine a situation where manufacturers train their vehicles to recognise situations where the vehicle is going to go out of control,” MPH Club explains. “These solutions could then preemptively take control of the vehicle, steer it back on course, before handing the reins back over to the driver.”
An experience like this, therefore, could offer drivers the best of all worlds. They would still get to exert manual control over the vehicle. But it would also protect them, and itself, by anticipating problems and taking corrective action before the situation led to disaster
This same technology could also enhance human performance (and go beyond safety). Artificial intelligence systems, for instance, could enhance the driver input by modifying it to be more aggressive, according to the presets they choose.
For example, if they put it into race mode and approach a corner rapidly, the vehicle could adjust the braking and steering to more closely match what a professional racing driver would do.
You could also see this technology implemented in situations where one driver has a handicap over another. The one at a disadvantage could simply turn off all assistance for a more fun and exciting race.
What Are Manufacturers Doing Already?
Given the power of AI and autonomy in general, manufacturers are already working hard to incorporate it into their road vehicles. Currently, consumers can choose things like their preferred suspension stiffness and torque output.
However, artificial intelligence will allow drivers to modify far more of the experience. Brands imagine a future situation where drivers can simply click a dial to select a driving style of their choice.
Furthermore, the use of autonomy could also potentially change the nature of the cockpit. Brands imagine a situation where they can remove the steering wheel, gear-shifter and other paraphernalia to slash weight and make the car feel lighter and more agile. Users could then control the vehicle using mind input signals.
“Mercedes introduced the concept of a self-driving luxury vehicle several years ago to get people excited about the prospect,” MPH Club explains. “But now brands are starting to get their heads around what full autonomy really means.
“It’s not just clever software that it provides, but a fundamentally new way of designing and styling vehicles, and appealing to new markets.”
Things like paddle gear shifts or event steering wheels could become added cost extras consumers can apply to their vehicles, similar to engravings or rear cameras today.
Many people might prefer the low-cost, minimalist version, while others will want their vehicles to feel like a classic mechanical driving experience.
“How autonomy and supercars will interact with each other remains to be seen,” MPH Club says. “It’s possible that high-end vehicles might lose some of their exclusivity and popularity, but this seems unlikely. People still want to drive them, whether owners, professionals, or simply amateurs looking to have fun.”
The final outcome of all this R&D may simply be more versatile and accessible supercars. More people will be able to drive them if there is AI onboard.
