The world of autonomous driving cars is one that has been explored by almost every major carmaker. It is a world that involves a lot of us just sitting around in our ‘robotic’ cars, sipping on coffee/tea. A world where the hassles of everyday driving is no longer a chore, but something many of us might actually look forward to. However, this automated technology is still a decade or two away from becoming reality. Companies like Google have been carrying out several experiments on their version of the autonomous car, with some success and minor niggles. Nissan’s CEO Carlos Ghosn on the other hand, seems confident about his company’s progress on this front.
Imaging how many selfies you could click with the help of a self-driving car!?
Ghosn said that Nissan will have self-driving technology ready by 2020. But he did say that the implementation and legalisation process of it will be up to the concerned authorities/government. “There’s a host of regulatory, legal and security issues that must be resolved first,” said Ghosn. Despite this minor matter of inconvenience, the CEO said “Our cars will be ready.” According to Nissan, studies conducted show that it’s the younger drivers of today who are more intent on laying their hands on self-driving tech. Ghosn stated that the consumers of these autonomous driving cars also seek amenities such as interweb connectivity, movies while on the move etc.
Nissan is more keen on electric technology for their near-future cars.
Ghosn made it clear that Nissan is focussing more on electric cars such as the Leaf. These, he says, will be at the core of future Nissan zero emission car portfolio. Nissan is also not very keen on zero driver involvement in these cars, although Ghosn says that could be an inevitable result of the whole autonomous driving process. Ideally, Nissan’s CEO would like the advancement in driverless technology to aid the person behind the wheel. Not necessarily replace the human element altogether. He is also quite cautious about the whole “self-driving/autonomous” technology as he thinks many consumers are still wary about it. That said, what do you think about the future of self-driving cars. Also, would you like to own one? Tell us with your comments.