Cars that drive themselves

Many of us have dreamed of automated cars since watching Knight Rider in the 1980s.  But the thirst for such technology goes further back than that when a ‘drive-by-wire’ system was being tested by the UK government back in the 1960s.  See here the man reading his book at the wheel of an elegant Citroen DS19!

Look no hands!!

Now we’re well into the 21^st century and it seems that cars that drive themselves are not too far away.  Last year Mercedes-Benz and Nissan announced they will be selling a self-driven or ‘autonomous’ car by 2020. And the race to be the first is clearly on with Audi, BMW, Ford, General Motors and Toyota also developing technology that would allow cars to steer, brake and accelerate with little or no input from the driver. 

Nissan is reportedly working with universities around the world to develop the technology, and has invested in a test track in Japan that will replicate real life conditions for the self-driven cars being worked on. 

Meanwhile Mercedez-Benz stole the show at the Frankfurt (Germany) Auto Show in September last year with its S500 Intelligent Drive research vehicle. This vehicle had just retraced the first road trip of 103kms taken by the first passenger car (also a Benz) in 1888.

Watch a couple of videos here:

But it’s not just the automakers involved, as of course the need for advanced technology is a large part of the progress. Companies such as Nokia, IBM,  Continental and needless to say Google are just some of the players involved in the push for autonomous driving.

Many cars already have short and long range radars front and rear, and front-facing stereoscopic cameras to detect objects and distances.  The Mercedes vehicle seen at Frankfurt has added colour to the front facing cameras to deted traffic lights, a backwards facing camera to recognize and verify landmarks for more precise vehicle location and lane positioning, and additional front facing radars to better track oncoming traffic.

So while cars get increasingly more computer controlled and technology is advancing at a rapid pace it may just be the nervousness of authorities and insurance companies that are the largest hurdle to self driven cars.

Commuters can dream of being able to legally be on the phone or laptop while travelling to work in their own car. But will the roads be safe with no hands on the wheel?  Or will there be less accidents? What do you think?

The new Audi Q5!

The freshly made-over Audi Q5 has arrived!

With a mission to protect Audi's medium prestige SUV/crossover market share from the BMW X3, Range Rover Evoque and Volvo XC60, the Audi Q5, a slick mid-size SUV, comes with: 

• Two all-new engines 
• Eight-speed auto availability 
• Big efficiency improvements 
• The latest driver-assistance and multimedia technology 
• Improved ride quality – softer springs, firmer dampers and new anti-roll bars

The change begins with a new engine for the range-topping petrol model; the 3.2 FSI has been replaced with a new twin-charged (supercharged and turbocharged) 3.0-litre V6.

Audi claims the new Q5 3/0 TFSI delivers 200kW/400Nm, accelerates from zero to 100km/h in 5.9 seconds and returns combined cycle fuel consumption of 8.5l/100kms. The petrol versions also boast Audi’s outstanding eight-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission.

Audi Q5’s diesel star, the 3.0 TDI, delivers 180kW/580Nm, cutting the consumption by 15 percent to 6.4l/100kms. The 130kW/380Nm 2.0 TDI delivers fuel consumption of 6.1l/100kms. A switch to electromechanical power steering is an added feature.

In short, we can say that the Audi Q5 delivers a little more of everything: value, efficiency, performance, safety, driver-assistance and the latest multimedia tech.

It’s no wonder the Q5 has become Audi’s strongest performer in the mid-sized premium SUV class world-wide. The styling is smart and purposeful, the interior has been fashioned to the highest standards, there is plenty of space to move around and even the rear seats slide and re-configure for more practicality.