The funds will be invested into the Research and Development of Intelligent Mobility, which will focus on enhancing the development of driverless car technology and the wider systems required to implement and adopt the technology – such as telecommunications.

John Leech, head of automotive at KPMG UK, greeted the news: “The £100m investment into developing driverless cars will be warmly received by the automotive industry. The UK is well placed to develop driverless cars compared to other EU countries. Pilots of the technology are already underway in Greenwich, Bristol, Milton Keynes and Coventry and we have Europe’s finest independent testing facilities for this technology at MIRA. Driverless cars will reduce congestion and improve safety and this investment will help to unlock these benefits in the next decade.”