After decades worth of hype, self-driving cars are no longer the technology of the future—they’re here. Several brands are developing self-driving tech, including Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Waymo, Zoox, and, of course, Tesla, and the race to lead to pack is on. The topic of autonomous vehicles is a controversial one and it’s going to take some time for the general public to get used to the concept of having cars on the road that are under no one’s control except the onboard computer’s.
Autonomous vehicles: Who’s joined the self-driving cars race?
A number of brands are emerging in the autonomous vehicles market that have had a focus on self-driving systems from inception, such as Waymo and Zoox. Then there are other established automakers working on integrating the technology into existing models, like Tesla, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, GM, Rimac, and more.
There doesn’t appear to be a leader in the sector yet, but research and development are ramping up and more companies are getting with the program. The market is a niche one for now, but a boom is likely to occur in the future and the major auto players will want to be already established when the time comes.
Ford has to make a decision about the future of its autonomous driving software
Ford Motor Co.’s BlueCruise self-driving software was in the spotlight after announcing its fourth-quarter earnings for 2024, which could have been higher if not for legal problems with its EcoBoost. CEO Jim Farley was asked about the possibility of a potential partnership on its autonomous driving system, to which he replied that a “practical decision” will have to be made and the company is “at that point where we have to decide.”
He also noted that customers have already racked up more than 300 miles of driving using Ford’s in-house BlueCruise software. Farley noted that the cost of the technology has dropped:
“Customers are still paying for it. We did drop the price by the way, so it is getting commoditized to some extent, but it is still a great opportunity. But the capability in the company is growing.”
BlueCruise is available in some versions of the Mustang Mach-E, the F-150 and F-150 Lightning, the Explorer, and the Expedition models.
What happened to Argo AI?
Argo AI was a self-driving startup company backed by Ford and Volkswagen that launched in 2017 with a $1 billion investment from Ford. By 2022, all operations had ceased. Ford’s chief executive says that the previous Argo employees who joined Ford have been put to work:
“All those Argo people that came with Ford, they are developing a really nice Level 2, Level 3 system that we think will be among the best in its execution.”
Farley acknowledged that a partnership on its autonomous driving software is a definite possibility. He also acknowledged what Tesla and other brands are achieving with their Level 4 software and that Ford still has some way to go.
What are the other brands in the self-driving sector doing?
Mercedes-Benz is making progress in the development of its autonomous software, but its Drive Pilot software has fallen behind some of the other brands in terms of limited availability. As of the beginning of 2025, the Drive Pilot system is only available for the S-Class and EQS. Mercedes-Benz’s progress is being held back by the European Union, which is not working particularly quickly on regulations for self-driving cars.
Many people may not have even heard of Zoox, whose parent company is Amazon, and Waymo, backed by Google. These two brands have been totally focused on autonomous driving tech from day one. They’re already marking their mark on the sector and growing at a healthy rate.
Waymo’s self-driving cars are already available in multiple locations across the United States, proof that the future (such as this cutting-edge hydrogen fuel cell motor from Toyota and BMW) has arrived and a self-driving car may soon be parked in your garage.
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