An autonomous or self-driving car is designed to sense its surroundings and function without the need for human control. This is the future of the automobile sector. While some companies have launched self-driving cars, they might not be completely autonomous yet. Further, the driverless technology is yet to be widely adopted. So, if one is excited about this tech, then they can keep an eye on what the following brands are working on:

1. General Motors (Cruise)
General Motors is an American multinational automotive manufacturing company that owns well-known car brands like Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac, and Buick. Additionally, General Motors is one of the leading manufacturers of trucks and other passenger vehicles. The brand is working toward developing new technology to enhance the features of self-driving cars. General Motors is the majority shareholder of the car company Cruise—a unit entirely dedicated to autonomous vehicle production. One can look forward to the Cruise Origin—an all-electric self-driving vehicle set to be built in the next few years.

2. Motional
Motional is a relatively new player in the automobile industry. It is an autonomous vehicle manufacturer established as a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv. Motional has already joined the race to offer cars with driverless technology and autonomous features. The brand is working toward designing self-driving vehicles that employ lidar and more than 30 cameras and radar sensors to utilize 360-degree visibility and object identification on the road. Motional is also utilizing AI and cloud-based infrastructure to collect and track driving data.

3. Waymo
Waymo is another well-known autonomous car company. It manufactures self-driving commuter vehicles. Waymo’s vehicles use custom mapping technology and real-time sensor data to run smoothly and safely on the road, carefully avoiding pedestrians and other vehicles and following traffic signs. Waymo is the first company to offer robotaxi services—i.e., driverless taxi services—to the public and it now operates in multiple cities in the country.

4. Uber
Uber, known for its ride-hailing services, is a technology company that is also marking its presence in the sphere of autonomous vehicles through the launch of its self-driving taxis. While autonomous taxi services are limited to just a few cities in the country now, users in these regions can opt for driverless taxis on the Uber app and hail a ride.

5. Zoox
This is another autonomous vehicle manufacturer carrying out intensive research to develop self–driving cars that can serve commuters. The goal is to facilitate on-demand mobility. Just recently, Zoox’s robotaxi took a completely autonomous spin on open public roads. This was the first time that a purpose-built robotaxi drove autonomously with passengers on open public roads without the use of any manual controls.

Many cities around the world already have self-driving cars on their streets. These vehicles, built with 3D imaging and AI technologies, aim to give riders a driver-free experience. With more self-driving cars expected by 2040, the technology is likely to shape the future of the automobile sector. So, one can keep an eye out for announcements and launches by the abovementioned brands.