Secret-Silhouettes 3385 Report post Posted August 28, 2013 Keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the wheel, except in a self driven car. Nissan says it will be ready with multiple, commercially-viable Autonomous Drive vehicles by 2020. Look, ma, no hands! Nissan, the sixth-largest automaker in the United States, announced Tuesday it will sell a self-driven car by 2020. The company outlined its plans before a gathering of reporters from around the world meeting at a Nissan press event in Irvine, Calif. [URL="http://data.cnbc.com/quotes/7201.T-JP"]Nissan[/URL] CEO Carlos Ghosn was scheduled to brief reporters, but unexpectedly canceled at the last moment. Nissan executives gave no reason for the cancellation. However, Ghosn said in a statement: "In 2007 I pledged thatâ??by 2010â??Nissan would mass market a zero-emission vehicle. Today, the Nissan LEAF is the best-selling electric vehicle in history. "Now I am committing to be ready to introduce a new ground-breaking technology, Autonomous Drive, by 2020, and we are on track to realize it." Instead of Ghosn, a group of senior Nissan executives outlined the technology of the Nissan 360 program to reporters. ([I]Read more[/I]: [URL="http://www.cnbc.com/id/100988628"]US automakers fall further behind foreign brands[/URL]) Nissan said it is working with several universities around the world including Stanford, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Oxford and the University of Tokyo to develop the technology for self-driven cars. At this point, the company is not collaborating with [URL="http://data.cnbc.com/quotes/GOOG"]Google,[/URL] which has received worldwide attention for its work on autonomous driven vehicles, including the so-called "Google car." ([I]Read more[/I]: [URL="http://www.cnbc.com/id/100988698"]America's best drivers: Go West, says study[/URL]) Nissan is building a test track in Japan specially designed to replicate the challenges self-driven cars will face in real world conditions. The company is estimating the cost of adding autonomous driven technology to a luxury sedan will only be $1,000. Nissan is not the only automaker racing to build and sell self-driven cars: [URL="http://data.cnbc.com/quotes/F"]Ford[/URL], [URL="http://data.cnbc.com/quotes/GM"]General Motors[/URL] and [URL="http://data.cnbc.com/quotes/7203.T-JP"]Toyota[/URL] are also developing technology that would allow cars to steer, brake and accelerate with little or no involvement with the driver. ([I]Read more[/I]: [URL="http://www.cnbc.com/id/100885759"]Does Nissan risk losing business in 'Datsun' move?[/URL]) A handful of states have already passed laws establishing guidelines for testing autonomous-driven vehicles in real world conditions. Still, few expect self-driven cars to roll out in big numbers in the near future. While Ghosn canceled his appearance in Irvine, he did issue a statement about developing autonomous driven vehicles: "In 2007 I pledged thatâ??by 2010â??Nissan would mass market a zero-emission vehicle. Today, the Nissan LEAF is the best-selling electric vehicle in history. Now I am committing to be ready to introduce a new ground-breaking technology, Autonomous Drive, by 2020, and we are on track to realize it." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites