No! For those of us who live in rural areas there is no realistic alternative to private car ownership. No taxi or sharing arrangement has anything close to the low cost or flexibility of one’s own car.
Philip Sturgeon, Tetbury, Gloucestershire
I live in the country and the dynamics of running a car, the types of journey and the issue of parking are different to being in a city. In a city, parking is difficult and expensive, and lengths of journey are shorter. So the answer is: city, yes; country, no.
Derek Smith, High Mickley, Northumberland
Did you see what happened to Arnie when he took a “Johnny car” in Total Recall – no thanks.
Jason Baylay, Stafford
Absolutely. It’s just an extension of the internet of things and the sharing economy and it’s the most efficient way to implement personal transport whichever way you look at it. Many people will still keep personal vehicles for their own enjoyment, though.
Ben Burslem, Leicester
A question “A truly British car manufacturer plans…” would have made me happier but I must be realistic! Personal mobility at will – Pandora’s box! I understand the underlying motivations and world/personal financial benefits but am I ready? Not yet!.
Brian Hark, North Wales
Absolutely – the sooner the better.
Justin Greenhalgh, Wantage, Oxfordshire
No. I enjoy driving at times and, apart from the smallest room in my house, my car is the only personal space I have left.
John Ovenden, Barton under Needwood
No, I regularly make quite long journeys for personal reasons and pleasure, and from a very early morning start. That way the driving can still be a pleasure!
Stefan Shillington, Kenilworth
Yes, especially as I get older, drink-drive laws get stricter and insurance, depreciation and maintenance costs keep on increasing.
Mike Ward, Leicestershire
I can’t see it catching on in rural Hampshire any time soon. Besides, I’d rather use my bike.
Kate Taylor, Hampshire
I can see the abandonment of “everyday” cars if autonomous cars become easy, quick to call and cheap to use. A few will still want to own cars, but I think it will be a minority. However classic-car ownership will soar. This will be where more and more people gain their thrills about driving themselves.
Matthew Waterhouse, Calveley, Cheshire
Yes. A dial-up autonomous car for home-to-office service for the daily commute with nearby colleagues, removing over half the traffic; another one for motorway journeys. No hassles over servicing, MoTs, tax – what joy. Oh NO. An engineer must have an interesting car to enjoy driving himself.
Michael Le Flufy, Ramsdell, Hampshire
I can’t envisage the time when I abandon owning a car, but car sharing is a step in the right direction, considering increasing road congestion and environmental issues. I think we are a long way from having an efficient electric car, supported by the appropriate infrastructure. One idea might be to incorporate the Duracell Bunny example to extend battery life.
John McFarlane, Glasgow
Why not? As long as the service is good enough.
Richard Fung, Hong Kong
Not everyone lives in a city! So, no, I don’t visualise giving up independent transport for general travel. However, an autonomous vehicle might come in handy when I get too old to drive myself!
Richard Duffell, rural Cumbria
Living in a semi-rural area with children means that it is impractical to not have the flexibility of owning a car – it would make managing all the things that need to be done in a day impossible. If circumstances were different then it would definitely be worth considering.
Iain Fraser, Nottingham
No – at least not yet! For me, nothing beats the ability just to go as and when I need to, to keep things in the car, in a car of my own choosing as regards make, model, colour and efficiency. Although I enjoy driving, we try as a family to walk, cycle and use public transport when we can.
Neil Dinmore, Derby
Yes. I have never owned a car and only use my own two feet, bicycle, public transport or hire cars to get around. It works very well and saves a lot of money. The future is here.
Joachim Neff, Dundee