Renault-Nissan joins race towards autonomy

AUTONOMOUS is the buzzword as the world gets ready for self-driving cars in the not-too-distant future, but it’s not only expensive luxury cars that will benefit from the convenient and potentially life-saving technology.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance has announced that it plans to launch more than 10 vehicles with autonomous drive technology in the next four years, the important part being that it will be installed on mainstream, mass-market cars at affordable prices.

The global car group confirmed this week that it will launch a range of vehicles with self-driving capabilities in the United States, Europe, Japan and China by 2020.

In addition, Renault-Nissan will launch a suite of new connectivity applications that will make it easier for people to stay connected to work, entertainment and social networks.

“Renault-Nissan Alliance is deeply committed to the twin goals of ‘zero emissions and zero fatalities’”, Renault-Nissan Alliance Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn said at the announcement.

Autonomous drive is expected to help further reduce driver error, which is responsible for up to 90 percent of all fatalities.

This year will mark the debut of Renault-Nissan vehicles with single-lane control, a feature that allows cars to drive autonomously on highways, including in heavy, stopand-go traffic.

In 2018 the company will launch vehicles with multiple-lane control which can autonomously negotiate hazards and change lanes during highway driving.

And 2020 will see the launch of intersection autonomy, which can navigate city intersections and heavy urban traffic without driver intervention.