Skip advert
Advertisement

Autonomous Nissan Leaf to be demonstrated on UK roads

Nissan confirms new autonomous tech heading to new Leaf and Qashqai at CES, with UK demos next month

Ghosn LEAF

Following on from the company’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2017 announcements, Nissan has revealed that demonstrations of its latest autonomous technology will take place in Britain later this year.

Live, on-road experiences in the Leaf with its next-generation technology will take place in London in February – the first live demonstrations of Nissan’s autonomous drive technology on public roads in Europe.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Technical and safety experts, plus government officials will be given the opportunity to ride along in the modified Leafs, and the announcement was made following a visit to Nissan’s Technical Centre for Europe in Cranfield by the Rt Hon Greg Clark, the UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn revealed the company's advances in autonomous systems in a keynote speech at CES, where he also confirmed that the new Nissan Leaf will get this self-driving tech.

“We work to bring the right technologies for the full spectrum of our vehicles and the most amount of people,” Ghosn said. “This takes more than innovation. It takes ingenuity. And it’s exactly what we deliver through Nissan Intelligent Mobility.”

The ultimate guide to self-driving vehicles

The latest tech being developed by Nissan is called “Seamless Autonomous Mobility” (SAM). It's been developed with NASA and uses artificial intelligence along with 'human support' to help autonomous vehicles make decisions in unpredictable situations. Nissan says this means autonomous cars can co-exist with human drivers more effectively.

The company has also reaffirmed that the next Qashqai crossover - expected to arrive as a facelifted model later this year - will get the same new autonomous technology when it arrives. 

All the latest from CES 2017

Nissan will also start to work with Japanese internet company DeNA to bring self-driving vehicles to the commercial vehicle market, with the tech planned to be working in central Tokyo by 2020. Ghosn also stated that the new Nissan Leaf will benefit from the autonomous tech developments.

Connected cars often go hand-in-hand with autonomous ones, and Ghosn also confirmed further work with Microsoft from the Renault-Nissan alliance, with the tech firm's Cortana - equivalent to Apple's Siri voice-recognition service - being used as an example of the partnership.

Are you excited by an autonomous future? Let us know in the comments section below...

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Nissan calls for urgent action on ZEV mandate
Nissan Ariya - front tracking

Nissan calls for urgent action on ZEV mandate

The threat to UK jobs is laid bare as fears over the impact of ZEV mandate escalate
News
21 Nov 2024
New Nissan N7 EV could threaten the Volkswagen ID.7, if it comes to the UK
Nissan N7 electric saloons - front angled

New Nissan N7 EV could threaten the Volkswagen ID.7, if it comes to the UK

The N7 is the product of a joint venture between Nissan and the Dongfeng Motor Corporation from China
News
18 Nov 2024
Best new cars coming soon: all the big new car launches due in 2024, 2025 and beyond
Best new cars coming soon - header image

Best new cars coming soon: all the big new car launches due in 2024, 2025 and beyond

These are the biggest and most important new cars headed our way, from brands including Audi, BMW, Dacia, Ferrari, Ford, Skoda and more
Best cars & vans
6 Nov 2024
Nissan’s SEMA concept car showcase includes a muscle truck and a Z-car
Nissan Frontier TARMAC Concept - front

Nissan’s SEMA concept car showcase includes a muscle truck and a Z-car

The SEMA show regularly plays host to highly modified Nissans
News
5 Nov 2024

Most Popular

New cars that plummet in value can make brilliant used buys
Opinion - Vauxhall Corsa-e

New cars that plummet in value can make brilliant used buys

Editor Paul Barker takes a closer look at our 2024 Used Car Awards
Opinion
20 Nov 2024
Best used cars to buy 2024
Best used cars 2024

Best used cars to buy 2024

From city cars to large SUVs, here’s our annual pick of the star performers that’ll save you thousands when you buy them used instead of new
Best cars & vans
22 Nov 2024
New Jaguar logos unveiled as big concept reveal moves closer
New Jaguar logo 1

New Jaguar logos unveiled as big concept reveal moves closer

Jaguar has revealed its new logos and styling details ahead of its transition into a luxury EV brand
News
19 Nov 2024