Jaguar Land Rover temporarily "stays away" from autonomous driving technology to avoid safety risks

Jaguar Land Rover CEO Ralf Speth said that by 2020, the number of Jaguar Land Rover plug-in hybrids and pure electric vehicles will account for half of the overall vehicle lineup. However, due to safety risks, autonomous driving technology will not be developed at present.

Speth said that due to the increasing demand for zero-emission vehicles in the market, taking into account factors such as government policies, user popularity and government encouragement, Jaguar Land Rover will also shift its focus to this area.

"For a small company like us, this will be a big challenge and will stretch the organization," Speth said in an interview. However, he also said the challenge will also prove that "Jaguar Land Rover is really advanced."

The Jaguar I-Pace concept electric car has been officially released at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and the mass-produced version of Jaguar's first electric car will also be launched in 2018. Speth also reminded that with the development of electric vehicles, the price of electric vehicles will also be 2.5 times the price of fuel vehicles, and "higher economies of scale will also come."

Speth said the United States is the main target market for the high-performance I-Pace, which can reach 60 miles per hour in 4 seconds and has a flat interior floor that allows for more interior space. However, Speth also expressed concerns, pointing out that it is not certain whether users will accept the new design direction of the I-Pace, especially the shorter hood. Users seem to have become accustomed to Jaguar's longer hood and feel that it has more horsepower. However, Speth did not disclose the price of the I-Pace.

In addition, Speth also mentioned that due to safety issues, Jaguar Land Rover does not plan to enter the field of autonomous vehicles for the time being. "We need more technology and behavioral standards, which may be a bit conservative, but we decided to wait."

Speth pointed out that the biggest concern about self-driving cars is that the current technology is not particularly safe. Self-driving cars should first be used for trucks on sealed roads, "which are easier to control than in city centers."

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.