While I don't have any example articles, I do know there have been a few written on the reality that millennials and the following generation are much less like

While I don't have any example articles, I do know there have been a few written on the reality that millennials and the following generation are much less likely to own their own vehicle or to even drive. This has been attributed to a number of various factors (a large portion being attributed to those generations widespread and intense usage of various social media platforms). So manufacturers are already feeling the pinch, so to speak. While (as you put it) "autonomous hire cars" will make the market for new car sales (and car ownership in general) smaller, I don't think it will completely go away, for a couple of reasons. First off, such form of "public transportation" is still subject to "the drunk person who pukes in the seat" syndrome. You will quickly get vehicles on the road that are virtually rolling trash cans, and when you encounter one, you'll have to make the choice to either use it anyhow, or send it back and wait for another to come (potentially making you late to whatever it is you are doing). Secondly, a service of "hire out your personal car" might become something; kinda like driving for uber, but not actually driving. Make money with your car when you aren't using it. Of course, you could also find your car trashed in the process (I'm sure AirBnB suffers from a similar problem). Ford and other companies are just likely hedging their bets, plus whatever tech they do develop can also bring them a tidy sum by licensing it forward, or selling it off.