Robocars - Autonomous Drive, Self-driving, Driver-less cars

Oh, that sounds amazing! Almost like a... Taxi.

The great thing about owning a car is that it's more than just a form of transport. It's a piece of design, a personal space, something that you can rely upon as a constant. It can also function as a refuge, a place to sleep, entertain, escape.
Tell me;
Will these autonomous 'public' cars clean themselves (inside, I mean) after every single use? I don't currently know of any form of transport that can do that. Piece of piss to keep my own car clean though.
Will these things be able to swallow/carry a shitload of stuff from Ikea? Mattresses strapped to the roof, tailgate tied down with rope, etc?
How about camping and exploring? Can I drive one out into the woods and sleep in it if I want to get up and surf at 5am? Are there going to be air-conditioned charging stations in Death Valley?
Then there is also the small (well, massive, actually) issue of Motorsport. You know, that technological behemoth fuelled by enthusiasm, passion and most importantly a fucking shitload of private money that develops the technologies that currently trickle down into our road cars. Do you expect anyone to race Autonomous vehicles? Or do we just leave Morgan and Caterham to carry on making their bread and butter for petrolheads to blast around in?

I don't think you're right.

It IS a Taxi!

1. "It's a piece of design" That Ford Mondeo is a stunning piece of work right...You talk about the average persons ownership, but I don't see many affordable cars these days that I would even glance twice at.
   
2. Why...would they need to clean themselves? There are humans for that, either that or I don't understand the point you're making.
   
3. "..refuge, a place to sleep, entertain, escape" I'm not even going to debate how you came to these points but I'll ask this, are we still talking about cars?
   
4. Why...wouldn't they be able to go to ikea, camping, mattress carrying, and death valley driving? It's a car....again, I don't understand the point to your post. It's not a a magical pumpkin caravan that runs on unicorn farts. The google car was tested in Nevada for months...and it...ran perfectly. How about this
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DARPA_Grand_Challenge
   
5. Charging stations are a part of something called "the future". Does it take a week to build a dam? No. The same applies to infrastructure.
   
6. Motorsport. Let me ask you something, you really think the most innovative part of the automotive world runs on 3 pedals and a tank of Petrol? Have you SEEN the amount of automation and computing/aids an F1 car has? Why would Motorsport be replaced? Those who complain about the pollution from Motorsports need to educate themselves. The time, frequency and methods used in the sport produce a negligible amount of pollution in the grand scheme of things, so I doubt its going anywhere. That's like saying we should all stop racing Bicycles because Motorbikes exist. Different things
   
   

No one is saying Automation is going to be the end of all things cars. The same principle that applies to technology making our lives easier applies to cars. Do you still pull out a map if you need to go somewhere? No (If yes, then I rest my case) well then, this is along that same principle.

I don't understand what you fail to see. You're jumping to some wild conclusions that have no basis in the real world.
Do I love the sound of an AMG V12? Damn straight! Do I love an even smarter car that makes my lifestyle and conditions easier? Hell yeah!