What is the use of か in 売り始めるか〜


I was reading an article and I came across this sentence:

> 車の会社がいつごろこのような自動運転の車を売り始める **か** 予想しました

What exactly does the か in this sentence/what is the meaning?




This か is the same as the particle we see all the time at the end of an
interrogative sentence. It's also used in a noun clause like so:

>   * いつ車を売りますか? When do they sell the cars?  
>  いつ車を売るか (noun clause) when they sell the cars
>   * 今日は日曜日ですか? Is it Sunday today?  
>  今日は日曜日か (noun clause) whether it is Sunday today
>

Therefore, "車の会社がいつごろこのような自動運転の車を売り始めるか" is a long noun clause which means
"when the automobile companies begin to sell those self-driving cars."

**EDIT** :  
I found a related question with an extensive answer: [Usage of か after a
clause?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/13034/5010)




This か is the same as the particle we see all the time at the end of an
interrogative sentence. It's also used in a noun clause like so:

>   * いつ車を売りますか? When do they sell the cars?  
>  いつ車を売るか (noun clause) when they sell the cars
>   * 今日は日曜日ですか? Is it Sunday today?  
>  今日は日曜日か (noun clause) whether it is Sunday today
>

Therefore, "車の会社がいつごろこのような自動運転の車を売り始めるか" is a long noun clause which means
"when the automobile companies begin to sell those self-driving cars."

**EDIT** :  
I found a related question with an extensive answer: [Usage of か after a
clause?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/13034/5010)

