Magna’s Walker: Fully Autonomous Vehicles Not Here Yet

Demonstrating its autonomous driving capabilities, Canada-based Magna International officials rode 300 miles (483 km)  in a modified Cadillac CTS from Ontario to Traverse City, MI, for the recent CAR Management Briefing Seminars.

Magna CEO Donald Walker, a speaker at the conference, says 92% of the trip was in autonomous mode, and he clearly sees driverless cars coming as existing automakers and newcomers worldwide focus on the advancing technology. German supplier Continental joined the autonomous test drive with a modified Chrysler 300.

But wait a minute, Walker says. Artificial intelligence still may not distinguish between “a ball on the road and the child who kicked it,” Walker says. “AI is not there yet and it will be solved, but we’re not there yet. Autonomous features will depend upon consumer demand, legislation and lawsuits, so it may be a long way off.”

Electrification, and not only EVs and hybrids, will expand the life of existing internal-combustion powerplants, Walker suggests.

Billing itself as the third-largest global automotive supplier with $36 billion in annual sales, Magna is a leader in automotive electronics and contract assembly.

“We build 200,000 cars each year, so we know how to bring a vehicle to market,” he says.

Walker says China in the short term seeks to dominate the global automotive market. “And that’s OK, but we need to take a much longer view. In Canada we’re looking 25 years out. We’ve got serious flaws we’ve got to get around.”

One area of concern he cites is the impact of driverless cars on jobs and public transportation, offset by their advantages, including greater road safety and reduced congestion.