Jaguar's Sayer Smart Steering Wheel Concept Embeds AI For Futuristic Autonomous Ride-Sharing

The future of automobile ownership might look vastly different than it does today. Today we buy or lease a car and that is the car we use for everything. In the future we all might be part of automotive services where rather than owning a car we simply pay a monthly fee to have access to an entire stable of cars. In a future such as this, if you needed a truck to go buy a new TV you would just request it, while if you needed an SUV to haul around your extended family while in for a visit you could request that as well.

These future vehicles will likely be fully automated (including delivery to your current location) and Jaguar is showing off a new concept called the Sayer that shows what the iconic British automaker sees for the future. Sayer isn't a fancy luxury car or even an SUV. Sayer is a smart steering wheel concept that Jaguar thinks might well be the only part of a car you own in the future. Jaguar sees a future where drivers subscribe to a service that offers them access to a range of vehicles and the only part the driver actually owns is the smart steering wheel.

Sure the cars of the future will be fully autonomous and will drive themselves to you says Jaguar. However, some drivers (especially enthusiasts) will likely want to take command of the vehicle, and Sayer will allow them to do that. This would be perfect for a weekend spent behind the wheel of a beast like the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 where you want to drive compared to a week spent schlepping to and from work. Jaguar sees Sayer as much more than a steering wheel for driving on occasion.

The device is a smart assistant that is able to save your agenda and then sends you reminders for your agenda as needed. It would use AI tech to learn when to send a car to pick you up to get you to a meeting on your agenda taking into account how long you would need to get up and ready for the meeting.

Sayer looks appropriately futuristic with its brushed metal finish and integrated displays to show things like ETA of when the car will arrive and what you have to do for the day. Jaguar will be showing off Sayer, named for the designer who came up with the iconic E-Type among other vehicles, at the Land Rover Tech Fest taking place in London on September 8. Sayer will eventually be part of a concept called Future-Type that will show what Jaguar expects mobility to look like in 2040 and beyond.

Are you looking forward to a future where you are free from the mundane aspects of commuting and vehicle ownership? Sound off in the comments.