On January 9, Ford CEO Jim Hackett–who spent two decades in executive positions with office furniture giant Steelcase–presented the keynote address at this year’s CES in Las Vegas. In an article previewing his speech, Hackett vilified the automobile, calling it “the ultimate disruptor to humans’ lives and our civic way of life.”
In his view of a future utopia, automobiles are replaced by “mobility solutions,” reclaiming city streets and returning parking lots to greenspace and farmer’s markets. The “sharing economy,” in which no one really owns transportation, factors heavily into his vision. Need to get from Point A to Point B? Just call up an autonomous pod–presumably maintained properly by someone else–for the journey.
Absent from his vision, and perhaps from his world view, is the fact that some of us still love cars and have a passion for driving.
Hemmings is a bit pessimistic on the on the autonomous car evolution. What say you?
|
Comments rated to be "almost" Good Answers: