Autonomous Auto Tech to Create Future 'Autotopia'

The future of the auto industry is heading toward "shared autonomy," which will make the industry unrecognizable, according to Adam Jonas, lead auto analyst at Morgan Stanley.

“The auto industry is a century-old ecosystem being ogled by outside players hungry for a slice of a $10-trillion mobility market," said Jonas. "Many want in. It’s just beginning. And it won’t stop.”

Jonas created a four-quadrant chart to break down how trends in technology will alter driving. The two he noted as the most significant trends are the sharing economy and autonomous driving. Along the horizontal axis is the change from individual vehicle ownership to shared cars and assets. Along the vertical axis lies the transition from human drivers to robotic drivers.

In the Morgan Stanley research in an L.A. Times article, Jonas also stated he envisions “roving fleets of completely autonomous vehicles in operation 24 hours a day, available on your smartphone.”

Parking lots will dissipate and be used for other purposes. This idea of what the future of driving will be like is what Jonas coined as “Autotopia.”