Fully automated parking systems will be available for a number of Nissan vehicles by the end of 2016, as the Japanese automaker continues to roll out vehicle automation technologies.
Nissan will bring to market a "traffic-jam pilot," technology that will allow cars to drive autonomously on congested highways.
"Multiple-lane controls," that allow cars to negotiate road hazards and switch lanes, will be introduced by the automaker no later than 2018.
"Before the end of the decade, we will introduce intersection-autonomy, enabling vehicles to negotiate city cross-roads without driver intervention," said Carlos Ghosn, president and CEO of Nissan Motor Co., in a speech late last week to the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan, according to a company release.
Ghosn did not say which Nissan models will be the first to come with the technologies. He did say a number of trends, like the rise of global mega-cities, would drive demand for such zero-emission vehicles, like the Nissan Leaf.
The automaker hopes to make autonomous drive systems "commercially viable by 2020," according to Ghosn.
A slow rollout of these systems is intended to introduce consumers to them "progressively," the automaker said.
They are "designed to enhance road safety and driving conditions by automating everyday tasks for motorists," the company said in a statement.
"Unlike pilot projects for completely self-driving vehicles currently undergoing preliminary tests elsewhere in the industry, drivers remain in control and 'at the wheel' in Nissan models equipped with autonomous drive functions," Nissan said.
Vehicles with self-driving capabilities will enhance safety, reduce road congestion, and help lower emissions, according to the automaker.
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