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Nissan Introduces Japan' First Autonomous Drive Feature On Serena Minivan

Nissan has announced it will be the first Japanese automaker to introduce an autonomous drive technology in its domestic market.
Nissan’s Serena with ProPILOT technology 9 photos
Photo: Nissan
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We are talking about the new Nissan Serena, a minivan that will receive the ProPILOT technology. The system is designed for highway use, and will only be used in single-lane traffic as a means to keep a car between the lines of a lane on the highway.

Nissan will be the first Japanese automaker to introduce a system that combines steering control, throttle control, and braking control in a fully autonomous mode.

The system is designed to operate in heavy traffic and long commutes. In other words, if a driver in Japan has a long or busy commute on the highway, the new Serena with ProPilot technology might be a recommendation for him or her.

The system works using an advanced image-processing technology, which can understand road and traffic conditions and act accordingly. The system is initiated with a simple press of a button on the steering wheel. It has a dedicated interface, which will help the driver select preferences and monitor the system.

Nissan’s system is operational at speeds between 30 km/h (18 mph) and 100 km/h (62 mph), and is designed to hold the vehicle in the middle of a lane by reading markers and controlling steering. Naturally, the ProPilot can follow curves, and it automatically controls the distance between the vehicle ahead.

If the latter executes a full stop, Nissan's ProPilot will copy the maneuver, but it will not resume driving on its own. Instead, the driver of the Nissan will either have to make a light press of the gas pedal, or touch the switch on the steering wheel again to confirm attention and resume automated driving.

Nissan’s Serena minivan is the first model to receive this system, but the automaker is considering its introduction in other markets and models. Like Volvo, Nissan also has a corporate vision of the future that involves zero fatalities in the cars it manufactures. Nissan also wants only to make zero emission vehicles sometime in the future.
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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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