The autonomous car industry is going far beyond Google'sself-driving car. 

Over the next two decades, self-driving cars are going to get abigger share of the market. The number of such vehicles on the roadwill reach 11.8 million by 2035, according to Egil Juliussen, ananalyst at IHS Automotive. And by 2050 he expects almost all carsto be self-driving. They are estimated to fetch premiums that willstart at $7,000 to $10,000 in 2025, he said.

In August, the FBI cautioned automakers that driverless carswill impact how law enforcement officers and suspects use theirvehicles. The FBI said these "lethal weapons" can be programmed tobe used as getaway vehicles while suspects fire guns at theirpursuers. Criminals could also override safety features to ignoretraffic lights and speed limits, and terrorists could load up thesecars with bombs and program them to drive and detonate at specificlocations.

On the other hand, autonomous vehicles could be "game-changing"for police officers. Surveillance will be "made more effective andeasier, with less of a chance that a patrol car will lose sight ofa target vehicle," the FBI report claims. Driverless cars may beprogrammed to remain a certain distance behind targets to avoiddetection.

Here's the latest in autonomous car technology.

As mentioned, Google has been testing driverless cars —including modified Prius and Lexus models from Toyota Motor Corp. —mounted with cameras, radar sensors and lasers on U.S. roads.Google's vehicles will initially have a top speed of 25miles per hour and won't have a steering wheel, accelerator pedalor brake pedal, the Mountain View, Calif.-based companysaid in a blog post. 

Next page: Mercedes-Benz

(Participants at the TecDay"Autonomous Mobility" experience the Mercedez-Benz interior conceptvia VR glasses)

Mercedes-Benz is scheduled to unveil its newautonomous car at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show inJanuary.

The automaker gave Motor Authority a preview of the car'sinterior, which the luxury car site says "looks more like alounge than the cabin of a car." The cabin is expected to be devoidof a steering wheel, but in comparison to Google's car, theMercedes should be more upmarket.

Basically, with the driving duties being handled by the caritself, the interior could be transformed into a private area ofretreat in urban traffic. The seats could face each other to createa lounge-like environment, and display screens could be used forentertainment purposes or to provide information about thevehicle's surroundings.

"You'll notice that the concept is much wider than anormal car," the site says.

Can't wait until January to see a prototype? Motor Authorityalso has "spy shots" of the vehicle's exterior. Last year,Mercedes-Benz revealed the prototype for the S500Intelligent Drive, an autonomous car that still contains asteering wheel. Engineers programmed the technology platform toknow where it is, what it sees and how to react autonomously.

Mercedez-Benz hopes to have the vehicle on the market by2020.

 Next page: Audi

The next generation Audi A8 will be a fullyautonomous, self-driving vehicle. Due in 2017, the car likely won'thave much of a market as legislation has to catch up to technology.In Germany, for example, cars are allowed to drive in autonomousmode for just 10 seconds at a time. In the United States, only fourstates allow testing of autonomous vehicles (Florida, California,Nevada and Michigan).

Audi debuted its A6 Avant prototype at the Consumer ElectronicsShow earlier this year. The vehicle features "piloted driving,"where the driver has the option to press a button on the wheel andlet the car take over–if you are travelling at less than 40 mph.The prototype has sensors hidden in the front grill that, duringpiloted driving, keep the car a half length of the car's speed inmeters per hour from the vehicle in front. The sensors also areaware of lane markings and are able read speed limit signs.

It is expected to hit the roads in three to five years.

Next page: Chevrolet

Chevrolet's EN-V (electric-networked vehicle)concept car has been around since 2010, and version 2.0 debuted atthe Intelligent Transport System (ITS) World Congress in Detroit inSeptember.

Like any concept car, the EN-V may not see street time, but itis equipped with cameras, sensors and vehicle-to-vehiclecommunication to enable hands-free driving. This micro-car is a2-seater and caps out at 25 mph.

Walt Disney Pictures likes the look of the EN-V. Thecar will be featured in the 2015 film "Tomorrowland."

Next page: Cadillac

Besides the EN-V, GM is developing a second carthat will feature semi-autonomous features. 2017 models (availablein 2016) of the Cadillac will offer Super Cruise,a hands-free control that provides automated brakingand allows drivers to ride on a highway (up to 70 mph)without controlling the steering wheel.

"With Super Cruise, when there's a congestion alert on roadslike California's Santa Monica Freeway, you can let the car takeover and drive hands free and feet free through the worststop-and-go traffic around," said Chief ExecutiveOfficer Mary Barra in a speech at the IntelligentTransport System World Congress in Detroit. "If the moodstrikes you on the high-speed road from Barstow, California, to LasVegas, you can take a break from the wheel and pedals and let thecar do the work."

Having it done for you — that's true luxury.

Next page: Ford
Developed in a partnership with State Farm and theUniversity of Michigan, Ford is testing autonomoustechnology in the Automated Fusion Hybrid ResearchVehicle.

First, Ford is working on vehicle-to-vehicle communication toalert drivers about congestion, accidents and weather. Theautomaker expects to then implement adaptive cruise control,steering and other V2V systems, with the eventual goal of creatinga highly automated–not driverless–car.

The vehicle features four small scanners poking out of its roof.Linked together, the LIDAR (a portmanteau of"light" and "radar") units give a 360-degree, 3D view ofsurroundings that allow the vehicle to accelerate, brake and steerwithout driver intervention.