The Renault Nissan Alliance announced their plan to launch 10 models with autonomous drive technology in the next four years.
These will be available in the United States, Europe, Japan and China by 2020, with the autonomous drive technology to be installed on mainstream models at affordable prices.
The first of these models will debut in 2016 and will feature the “single-lane control”, a system that will allow cars to drive themselves on highways, including in heavy stop-and-go traffic. The next step will come in 2018, where Renault-Nissan will introduce us to “multiple-lane control”, which will enable them to autonomously negotiate hazards and change lanes on the highway.
Finally, 2020 will be the year when we’ll see for the first time the “intersection autonomy” system. This will grant them the capability to navigate city intersections and heavy urban traffic without any input from the driver.
“The Renault Nissan Alliance is deeply committed to the twin goals of 'zero emissions and zero fatalities,” CEO Carlos Ghosn said. “That's why we are developing autonomous driving and connectivity for mass-market, mainstream vehicles on three continents.”
Like it or not, they are coming - and much sooner than initially anticipated.