Early Digital Market Insights on Autonomous Vehicles (AVs)

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) represent a transformative innovation poised to redefine the public transportation sector. Early developments and tests of Robotaxis and AV shuttles have demonstrated promising potential for integration with public transport systems, offering opportunities to enhance urban mobility and address last-mile connectivity even with the ambition to reduce overall traffic. At the same time the human factors of passenger fears, technology scepticism, first accidents, bad weather conditions or early weak sensors etc. have shown some of the risks that might challenge a fast market introduction of AVs (McKinsey & Company, 2025). However, the AV market remains nascent, with challenges in obtaining reliable market overviews due to fragmented data and varying regional developments. This study explores these different dimensions through a multidisciplinary approach, providing insights into digital market trends, producer behaviour, and the interplay between traditional vehicle manufacturers, software support or platform providers. By leveraging existing literature and existing empirical data, the study aims to offer a nuanced overview for a better understanding of the multiple interconnected AV landscape.