Where Are The Designers? Almost Every Driverless Car Concept Looks Like A Toaster

Do automakers investing billions in the self-driving cars of tomorrow risk repeating the same mistake they made with electric cars a decade ago?

Cutting-edge robotic people-movers from the likes of General Motors, Toyota Motor Corp. and Jaguar Land Rover all share similarly rectangular dimensions with more of an eye toward engineering practicality than sex appeal. Even Waymo, the self-driving arm of Google parent Alphabet Inc., has chosen the lowly minivan as its primary ride for self-driving vehicles.

vdiv - 3/13/2020 12:19:47 PM

+3 Boost

Makers had to maximize the occupant space while minimizing the vehicle footprint. Those are bound to look like boxes, just like any bus does.

SanJoseDriver - 3/13/2020 1:54:32 PM

+2 Boost

Tesla has almost proved that an autonomous car can look like a normal car, all cameras and sensors are hidden. If they can get to Level 5 without lidar, they'll win the design war for AVs.

t_bone - 3/13/2020 7:44:14 PM

+3 Boost

Don't challenge car designers. You could end up with a grill that goes from the pavement to the roof.

MDarringer - 3/13/2020 8:40:36 PM

-1 Boost

If a car is autonomous, who cares what it looks like? Owners of driverless cars hate driving, so they have no joy in their lives. They may as well ride around in Socialist-Fascist Motors Pod Generic.