Nissan Is Chasing Tesla With Its First Fully Autonomous Car

Nissan has begun testing of fully-autonomous cars in Japan, with a view to rolling the technology out to consumers by 2020.

The company has fitted a suite of complex electronics to an Infiniti Q50 that’s now biffing around the streets of Tokyo. A development of the ProPilot system in use today, the special autonomous Q50 has 12 sonar sensors, 12 cameras, nine millimetre-wave radars, six laser scanners, a high-definition map and a Nespresso machine in the dashboard. We might have made that last one up.

We’re told that the Q50 will be able to navigate tricky junctions without, err, doing a Mustang. Nissan says it will navigate unexpected obstacles smoothly and will give a “human-like driving feel.”

Let’s hope it replicates someone who doesn’t nearly kill you every time they do they driving (we all know that guy).

Takao Asami, Nissan’s senior vice president in charge of research and advanced engineering, said:

“Ingenuity is at the heart of everything we do at Nissan. Our next-generation ProPILOT prototype showcases technology that will be available for real-world use from 2020.

“Today’s demonstration is another example of our successful work toward creating an autonomous driving future for all.”