What's the news?
Nissan is going to sell its forthcoming Serena people carrier with autonomous ProPilot driving technology.
A ProPilot-equipped Serena, due on sale in its homeland in late August, should therefore be able to drive itself along single-lane highways - and the technology is not just going to be confined to the Japanese market, either.
ProPilot works through a single camera, which is coupled to advanced-image processing software. The throttle, brakes and steering are based on the footage the camera captures and ProPilot apparently 'quickly recognises' in 3D-depth both preceding vehicles and lane markers.
Once it is activated, ProPilot automatically controls the distance between the Serena and the car in front, using a speed set by the driver that's anywhere between 30- and 100km/h. The system uses lane markers to stay in the middle of its side of the road and car steer through curves, too. And should the car in front stop, ProPilot brakes to a stop as well, only resuming its progress upon the driver touching either the relevant control switch for the software in the cabin or by lightly pressing the throttle.
Nissan further claims that ProPilot understands roads and traffic situations, and that it can execute precise steering to allow the Serena to 'perform naturally'. ProPilot's control switch is mounted on the steering wheel and there's an interface display which shows the system's current operating status.
Anything else?
ProPilot will not just be confined to the Serena, as Nissan will introduce it to other vehicles across Europe - yes, Europe - in 2017, with the Qashqai crossover listed as one beneficiary. ProPilot will also make its way to the US and China, while a multi-lane version of it for motorways will follow in 2018. By 2020, Nissan promises that autonomous technology that can drive on urban roads and navigate intersections will have arrived.