ABSTRACT
This chapter explores what society expects and if Western society is ready for the transformation that is being postulated. It seeks to clarify the characteristics of Western automobile culture, transformation/transformative research, and the autonomous automobile concept. The chapter examines ways to handle the schism between the need for transformation and the wish to preserve traditional automobile culture in the sense of automotive heritage. Users of automobiles “engage with cars in particular ways related to their gender, age and the kinds of desires they bring to the experience of cars.” The cultural importance of automobiles is also underlined and constantly reproduced by images used in art, literature, advertisement, and film. The ecological well-being of our planet is threatened by climate change, overpopulation, and the limits of natural resources — partially caused by the current automobility system. Self-driving automobiles are mostly imagined as “driverless taxis” that can be used individually. Autonomous driving promises some significant alterations regarding automobile technology and driving habits.
