Mercedes - Benz showed business interest in offering on - demand limousine services using driverless vehicles , Daimler Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche said at the Frankfurt Auto Show yesterday , in what is being seen as a direct challenge to consumers . The automaker is apparently looking at setting up large numbers of autonomous cars to attend to customers who are less attracted to vehicle ownership , but still interested in using premium transportation services like limousines . " This is a concrete development goal of ours , " Zetsche said , and " it would be even more convenient if the car came to you autonomously ... " Zetsche said that the combination of car rental services and autonomous vehicles opens up new business opportunities : " I think you do n't need too much imagination to see that by combining these strengths , attractive business models are possible in future ... "
Mercedes-Benz sees business potential in offering on-demand limousine services using driverless cars, Daimler Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche said at the Frankfurt Auto Show yesterday, in what is being seen as a direct challenge to Uber. The automaker is apparently looking at setting up large fleets of autonomous cars to attend to customers who are less attracted to vehicle ownership, but still interested in using premium transportation services like limousines. "This is a concrete development goal of ours," Zetsche said, and "it would be even more convenient if the car came to you autonomously..." Zetsche said that the combination of car rental services and autonomous vehicles opens up new business opportunities: "I think you don't need too much imagination to see that by combining these strengths, attractive business models are possible in future..."