It is no longer a question of if but when autonomous vehicles (AVs) will hit the road. In the auto industry's most significant inflection in 100 years, vehicles with varying levels of self-driving capability - ranging from single-lane highway driving to autonomous valet parking to traffic jam autopilot - will start to become available to consumers as soon as mid-2015 or early 2016. Development of autonomous-driving technology is gaining momentum across a broad front that encompasses OEMs, suppliers, technology providers, academic institutions, municipal governments, and regulatory bodies.

Vehicles with stop-start capability will account for 55 percent of all light-duty vehicles sold by 2024, increasing from 22 percent in 2015, according to Navigant Research.

Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL), a global carrier of roll-on/roll-off cargoes and provider of logistics services, has opened a third vehicle processing center (VPC) in China.