The Society of Automotive Engineers – Australasia wants to “energise Australia’s automotive sector” via its vision for autonomous electric vehicles.
This is a concept sketch of what Australia’s next-generation police car could like if the Society of Automotive Engineers – Australasia have their way. The SAE-A has released a series of sketches showing off its vision for an autonomous electric vehicle. The intention is for this vehicle to be produced in Australia for global markets with a total annual volume of 50,000 to 100,000 units per year.
In a statement issued to the media, SAE-A Chairman and CEO Adrian Feeney said, “COVID-19 has shown the importance of car manufacturing, and we propose to start with a car that no other country could build.
“We would design it at the cutting edge of near-horizon technology, and we would build it in the medium volumes which Australia has always excelled in.
“So what would it look like? It would be electric, substantially autonomous, built of advanced composites and made in a total volume of 50,000 to 100,000 per year.
“It would be a modular family of specialist vehicles for world markets – imagine a police car, an ambulance, perhaps even a light military vehicle all off the same platform.”
“First to join our group is Delineate, a transportation design company whose clients include Tesla, Google, Honda, Ford and Nissan,” he said.
“Delineate has given us our initial inspiration – a blue-sky imagining of what a 21st century police car might look like – as a first step towards a commercially viable real-world vehicle.”
Hate to sound like a ‘downer’ but read between the lines of the statement, and it’s more of a battle cry for industry to support the SAE-A’s vision rather than an actual intention to begin producing vehicles. The hope, it seems, is for some utopian-like coming together of engineers and manufacturers to shoulder the burden of development, engineering and manufacturing of this new ‘global’ vehicle.
It’s a great idea but we’re not so sure it’s got a hope… what do you think?
While you’re here subscribe to the MotoFomo Newsletter
Sign Up for the latest news, reviews, advice, buying guides and more delivered to your inbox every week