Insider Q&A: IHS Automotive analyst Jeremy Carlson

IHS analyst Jeremy Carlson says the consulting firm's forecast reflects the substantial amount of money being invested in autonomous technology.

A. Within the 21 million autonomous vehicles sold worldwide in 2035, we expect a healthy mix of 'traditional vehicles' with an autonomous mode and new and purpose-built designs that forego driver controls and therefore represent a very different use case — what is often called on-demand mobility-as-a-service.

The former will likely remain the stronghold of automakers; the latte will be a mix of manufacturers, owners and operators of the mobility-as-a-service business model.

A. Regulation is the other major headwind next to consumer acceptance, but IHS expects regulators to recognize the benefits that autonomous mobility can bring their citizens and find the means to work through these complex issues.

China's growing middle class, urban population density, environmental challenges and centralized authority will all play a part, and these factors also tend to be favorable to the mobility-as-a-service model.