The go-to-market strategy for autonomous vehicles: “Launch somewhere”
Autonomy is complex. Much more complicated than originally thought. Several manufacturers expected the first self-driving cars to hit the market 3-4 years ago. In fact, Johann Jungwirth of Volkswagen met with Focus Magazine in April of 2016 amongst beanbags, blue suede shoes and skateboards to report the first autonomous vehicles (AVs) will be on the market by 2019. “I could have a car like that take me on vacation. The car drives, I sleep – and in the morning, I go to the ski slopes well-rested.” In the months surrounding that interview, Toyota, GM, BMW and Ford all also announced intended deployments in 2020 and 2021.