The car of the future is still in flux. Although many agree that it will be autonomous, hopefully it will be crash-free, probably with battery and probably will be radically different inside, if still familiar on the outside, there are widely two routes by which the car can wind until 2040.
The first is the model we know of: car ownership. There are more than 34.4 million cars on British roads, with a new record of 2.69 million sold in 2016 in an industry worth $ 77.5 billion a year, according to the Society of Engine Manufacturers and Dealers. It is clear that the British still love their cars.
Car manufacturers around the world would not love anything more than the current proprietary private car model to continue. A car parked outside each house, new models bought in the registration changes and regular service in your local garage, only with the car able to drive there for a robot to do the job.
That route could see the car transform from a vehicle into a personal moving space. Once you drive yourself, there is no need to have the traditional design - or even face forward.