Study Shows Daimler, Audi, BMW and GM Are The Leading OEMs In Development Of Autonomous Vehicles

A new Leaderboard Report from Navigant Research compares the strategy and execution of 18 OEMs, including company profiles and rankings, to provide an objective assessment of these companies’ relative strengths and weaknesses in the rapidly-developing autonomous vehicle market.

Although fully automated cars that do not require a human driver are expected to be somewhere in the range of 10 years away from production, depending on who you ask, the incremental systems that are necessary as foundations for self-driving cars are emerging now. There are a select number of OEMs in the autonomous vehicle segment that are currently leading this market, proving that they can differentiate themselves through exceptional technology development, strong supplier relationships, and sustainable business models.

The new report from Navigant Research indicates that the current leaders in the autonomous vehicle OEM market in terms of strategy and execution are: Daimler, Audi, BMW and GM. Although some might expect to see Tesla near the top of the list, the report puts the electric car innovator more in the middle of the pack when it comes to the development of autonomous vehicles. It’s important to note that the study only includes OEMs, and doesn’t include other companies that are involved in autonomous vehicle development, such as Google.

“The competition to be first to move more advanced capability into production is strong,” said David Alexander, senior research analyst with Navigant Research. “All of the major global OEMs are now participating, and aside from the four manufacturers in the lead, there are four more who are slightly ahead of the pack, with another five close behind.”

According to the report, the desire to reduce injuries and deaths that result from traffic accidents and the potential to reduce overall energy use represent the biggest factors that are driving vehicle automation. The research firm analyzed the strategy and execution of autonomous vehicle technology for 18 OEMs, rating them on the following 12 criteria: vision, go-to market strategy, partnerships, production strategy, technology, geographic reach, sales, marketing and distribution, product capability, product quality and reliability, product portfolio, pricing and company commitment. The scoring was based on how established and comprehensive the company’s deployment of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) is, what public announcements it has made regarding its next generation of self-driving features, and the extent of its commitment to long-term goals of autonomous vehicles.

The rankings from the Autonomous Vehicle OEMs report are as follows:

Leaders – companies with strategy and execution scores greater than 75

1. Daimler
2. Audi
3. BMW
4. GM

Contenders – companies that are capable of taking the lead in the near future

1. Volvo
2. Ford
3. Toyota
4. Honda

Challengers – companies that could challenge for leadership in the near future

1. Volkswagen
2. Nissan
3. Jaguar Land Rover
4. Tesla
5. Hyundai/Kai

Contenders and Challengers – companies that are trailing behind the other OEMs and will need to make significant changes to attain a leadership role in the autonomous vehicle market

1. Fiat Chrysler
2. Mazda
3. Renault
4. PSA Peugeot Citroen
5. Mitsubishi