Autonomous driving could contribute €17tn (£14.4tn) to the European economy by the year 2050, according to a report commissioned by Nissan.

At the Nissan Futures event in Barcelona on Tuesday, the car-maker unveiled the report ‘Freeing the Road: Shaping the future for autonomous vehicles’ created by think tank Policy Network.

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The report, though focused mainly on Germany, Spain, and the UK, stated that autonomous vehicles would contribute 0.15% to Europe’s annual economic growth, adding a total of €17trn to continental GDP by 2050.

Nissan also surveyed 6,000 people across France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain, and the UK, to gauge attitudes towards autonomous driving, though stopped short of introducing new autonomous features into its vehicles.

Paul Willcox, chairman of Nissan Europe, stated the need for governments and the automotive industry to collaborate for vehicle autonomy.

Willcox said: “[This report] shows that autonomous technology will have a fundamental impact not just on the automotive industry but across European economies and societies.

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“For the full benefits of autonomous drive technologies to be realised governments and municipalities across Europe should review the report’s findings, work hand in hand with the automotive industry, and play a vital role in ushering in this new technological era.”