"We have already drove tens of thousands of miles without any accident, without any problem," said Dr. Burkhard Huhnke, the center's new vice president of product innovations.
Huhnke, talking to Miller & Martin lawyers at an in-house event, said the German automaker last year sent a self-driving concept car from Northern California's Silicon Valley to Las Vegas, a 550-mile drive.
Audi, owned by VW, became one of the first car companies to obtain a new type of permit issued by California for the testing of self-driving cars, and it has demonstrated its so-called piloted driving technology on an expressway in Tampa, Fla.
Huhnke said that 90 percent of accidents in America are due to human error.
"Increased safety is one of the aspects of piloted driving," he said.
Bernie Carlson, a University of Virginia professor of science, technology and society, said that "disruptive technologies" such as autonomous driving isn't new.
"Disruptive technologies have a long history," he said, adding that they change the way people live their lives.
Carlson cited the iPhone, noting many people don't need to bring a camera or alarm clock with them on vacation anymore if they have a smart phone.
He said while disruptive technologies often seem out of our control, they can be managed.
"If you understand how they change [social relationships,] you can manage them," Carlson said.
Huhnke was named Friday to his new post at Volkswagen Group of America's North American Engineering and Planning Center. In that role, he will support the fostering of innovation in the market, build connections with national research and development organizations and be a liaison with universities, according to VW.
"Dr. Burkhard Huhnke's 18 years of experience in research and development have prepared him for his expanded role here," said Dr. Matthias Erb, the company's executive vice president of engineering and planning, in a statement. "Dr. Huhnke's expertise will help direct our innovation efforts in the North American region, for example in terms of lightweight materials and connectivity."
Previously, Huhnke served as head of product engineering at the Volkswagen Chattanooga plant.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.