The arrival next month of the new Audi A8 on to garage forecourts should serve as a timely reminder that we are on the verge of a major change to all of our lives. Yes, all of us. Audi claims this is the first commercially available level 3 autonomous car, level 5 being completely driverless and a work in progress.

My son Patrick is car crazy. I had to fight to get the remote control from him last Sunday as he watched the Hungarian Grand Prix while, predictably, I wanted to see the Kerry V Galway game. I lost but evidently I didn’t miss much. His dream is one day to drive a Lamborghini Aventador SV. Sadly it is an unlikely dream. Not that he mightn’t be able to afford one, more that cars will be driving themselves by the time he has his licence. Wait a minute, will he actually need a licence? Will he actually own a car?

In the futuristic world of driverless cars, it’s predicted we’ll just order one on our phone whenever we have somewhere to go. Technology companies such as Google and Tesla will be more important to the car industry than BMW, Ford or Mercedes-Benz. You could argue they already are.

The blurb about the Audi A8 tells us that in rush hour traffic, the car will take over and will allow the driver (soon to be passenger) to sit back, do some work or watch the in-car television. So it is fair to say that by the time Audi gets around to launching the next generation A8, it will probably come with a level 5 driverless electric-powered edition.

Experts predict that by 2040, when UK vehicles will be virtually fossil fuel free, road traffic accidents will be reduced by as much as 80% thanks to autonomous automobiles – a dramatic life saver. That is of course if hacking is overridden. It is all pretty mind boggling sci-fi stuff but all you need do is google “driverless car” and you’ll see how it’s a revolution which is upon us. Are we ready in this country? I don’t see much evidence of legislative preparedness.

Interestingly, the Indian government has put its foot down and is declaring it will ban driverless cars to save jobs. Indeed, what about all of the jobs that will become redundant as a result. The driving instructor? The driving tester? The panel beater? The forecourt salesman?

Which reminds me of a funny story which illustrates how motor car technology has advanced. A friend of mine starting out as a car salesman about 20 years ago was sent to deliver a new car to a farmer out the countryside. The car being traded in was on its last legs. In fact, the brakes had gone. After swapping the keys, my friend politely enquired as to how he was meant to slow down or stop the car with no brakes.

“Just give her a little touch of reverse”, came the assured reply! CL

Giving farmers a fair price for their produce

The European Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan revealed to me in Brussels last week that he is going to tackle the gulf between what farmers get for their produce and what consumers pay for it. Farmers get less than a third, at best, of the final price for their hard work, depending on the Single Farm Payment to stay afloat.

This will come as welcome news to primary producers but will it be good news for consumers? It is hard to see the all-powerful multiples allowing their profits being easily eaten into. If they must pay farmers more transparently, will it just be passed on to the hard-pressed shopper? Answers on a postcard.