Renault-Nissan has announced plans to launch more than 10 vehicles with autonomous drive technology in the next four years.
The global car group confirmed that it will launch a range of vehicles with autonomous capabilities in the United States, Europe, Japan and China through 2020. The technology will be available on mainstream, mass-market cars at affordable prices.
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 Renault-Nissan Silicon Valley Research Center. “That’s why we are developing autonomous driving and connectivity for mass-market, mainstream vehicles on three continents.”
Renault-Nissan is already the industry’s zero-emission leader by far. The alliance has sold nearly 300,000 all-electric vehicles since the first Nissan Leaf entered the market in 2010.
Apart from that, safety and efficiency of vehicles across the Renault-Nissan alliance have increased dramatically. For instance, fatal and serious injuries in Nissan vehicles in Japan decreased 61% in 20 years; fatal and serious injuries in Renault vehicles in France decreased 80% in 15 years.
With the introduction of autonomous drive, driver error is expected to help further reduce, which is responsible for up to 90% of all fatalities.
This year, the company debuts the “single-lane control,” technology, a feature that allows cars to drive autonomously on highways, including in heavy, stop-and-go traffic. In 2018, Renault-Nissan 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.
Later this year, Renault-Nissan will launch a new automotive app for mobile devices, which allows remote interaction with your car. Next year, it will launch the first “Alliance Multimedia System,” providing new multimedia and navigation features, as well as improved smartphone integration and wireless map updates. In 2018, the alliance Connectivity & Internet of Things platform will support the new Virtual Personal Assistant feature for individual and business customers.
So here’s to the future folks!
