Renault-Nissan Alliance CEO Carlos Ghosn doesn’t expect the majority of consumers to give up on buying cars in the next five to 10 years, despite advances in vehicle automation and the continued growth of ride-sharing and ride-hailing services.
?Car ownership is not only a rational decision; it?s also an emotional decision,? he told a crowd of reporters at an event in the SLS Las Vegas hotel and casino during the 2017 CES technology show. Buying a car, Ghosn explained, ?is midway between buying a refrigerator and buying a dog. You buy a dog because you like the dog . . . a refrigerator is much more rational.? For that reason, Ghosn predicted, automated cars will need to appeal to buyers’ emotions, because they will be investing in both a mode of transportation and a ?personal mobile space.? Personal mobility was a key theme among automakers at CES, and it has been a thread that automakers followed to the Detroit auto show a week later, where Ghosn again delivered a keynote speech at the show?s Automobili-D offshoot focusing on mobility tech.
In Las Vegas, Ghosn declared that his company will continue to work with Microsoft on connected-car technologies, including the possibility of integrating Cortana, Microsoft?s personal assistant, into future Nissan vehicles. And he announced that the next-generation Nissan Leaf will come to market with the brand?s ProPilot technology, which will allow the redesigned electric vehicle to engage in automated single-lan...