TELEMETRY STUDY: OVER HALF OF ALL NEW CARS WILL OFFER HANDS-FREE DRIVING BY ‘28

• “Level 2+” Partially Automated driving tech to proliferate quickly over the next few years

• Study finds troubling approaches to consumer safety from some OEMs, notably Tesla, while others take a more cautious approach

• Author Abuelsamid notes that Chinese regulators are doing a better job than those in the U.S., keeping pace with consumer protections on AVs

NORTHVILLE, Mich., Sept. 29, 2025 — New vehicle shoppers should get used to new cars that almost drive themselves.

Telemetry’s 2025 Assisted and Automated Driving Forecast shows that partially automated, “Level 2+” systems, such as General Motors' Super Cruise and Ford’s BlueCruise, are not only gaining traction globally but are projected to be offered on more than half of all new passenger vehicles by 2028.

L2 provides assisted steering and speed control with driver supervision. GM’s Super Cruise system was the first hands-off system to market in 2017 on the Cadillac CT6; while the Society of Automotive Engineers J3016 standard doesn’t provide a separate designation for hands-off, eyes-on systems, Mobileye CEO Amnon Shashua coined L2+ in 2018, and the industry has generally adopted the designation for this type of assistance. 

“Customers really love these hands-free systems, especially on longer drives,” said Telemetry Vice President of Market Research Sam Abuelsamid*. “But, ‘God is in the details,’ and as these become more common, these differences may affect the customer experience and brand loyalty, especially as the worst of these systems may result in preventable injury or worse.”

“Hands-Free Driving” Becoming Common Over the Next Few Years

In addition to GM, Ford, Nissan, and Tesla’s dangerously mis-marketed “Full-Self Driving” Level 2+ systems, other major players have or will soon launch versions of their own. 

However, as drivers — but not necessarily U.S. auto safety regulators — have discovered, these sophisticated systems operate with different levels of accuracy, ease of use, and, most notably, different means and measures for provisioning safe hands-free driving.

Not All Created Equal; Tesla’s “Full-Self Driving” Marketing Trumps Adequate Safety Engineering, Reason

While this growth is exciting for drivers and the industry, Abuelsamid notes that not all systems are created equally with regard to safety thresholds; significant differences in sensor technology, driver-attention monitoring, and software affect the user experience and risk to drivers and occupants.

Furthermore, manufacturers’ claims about varying levels of automated driver assist are opening both drivers and manufacturers to legal liability if these systems are used inappropriately. Tesla’s admonition that customers keep their hands on the wheel while using its “Full-Self Driving” and AutoPilot (sic) features hasn’t protected the company from legal liability.

In July 2025, a trial jury in Florida found Tesla partly responsible for a 2019 crash where the driver was using AutoPilot. The vehicle crashed into a parked vehicle, killing one pedestrian standing behind it and seriously injuring another. Tesla was ordered to pay more than $240 million in damages to the victims' families.

As Telemetry, Bloomberg and others have pointed out, relying exclusively on cameras as the sole piece of the sensor suite for automated and assisted driving is fraught with peril both for the company, its drivers and even roadside bystanders.

Tech Moving Fast; U.S. Regulators? Not So Much. 

Abuelsamid notes that as hands-free systems proliferate, regulatory insight becomes more important.  While expectations for protecting and enforcing driving safety with these new technologies have largely and inexplicably fallen to litigators in U.S. courtrooms, other global regulatory bodies are acting with due haste to enable innovation while mitigating risks to public welfare.

As Abuelsamid notes, “In April 2025, new regulations were introduced in China following a fatal crash of a Xiaomi SU7. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology barred automakers from conducting testing of experimental, beta versions of ADAS and ADS software with consumers, a practice that was started by Tesla in 2017 and later adopted by other manufacturers.”

“All software updates must now go through official channels for reporting safety recalls and be approved by regulators. Automakers are also prohibited from using terms such as 'automatic driving,' 'autonomous driving,' or 'advanced intelligent driving' in marketing materials since these terms tend to imply greater capabilities than these systems can actually provide. Regulators also banned unsupervised systems like remote summon or parking where the driver is not behind the wheel.”

According to Abuelsamid, “These are some of the most stringent requirements in the world and set a pattern that should be adopted globally.”

These three storylines stand out in a detailed report that forecasts the region-specific growth rates of all levels of automated driving, among other qualitative and quantitative research areas, including suggestions for regulating AV driving safety performance standards (today, there are none).

How to Purchase the Assisted and Automated Driving Forecast

For the full report or to schedule a one-hour live briefing with analyst Sam Abuelsamid, contact us at hello@telemetryagency.com. Questions may be submitted before the briefing. You can also view a recorded webinar featuring Sam Abuelsamid, hosted by the Automotive Press Association.