Pursuing a goal of zero-emission vehicles and zero-fatalities on the road, Nissan has developed Intelligent Mobility, a framework for moving toward a safer and more sustainable future. Nissan’s latest work enhances vehicle safety, energy efficiency and the integration of self-driving technology on our roads and society.
Recently, Consumer Technology Association (CTA) President and CEO Gary Shapiro talked with Nissan’s President and CEO Carlos Ghosn, a keynote speaker at CES 2017, about what this all means for them and the industry.
1. How do you see advancements in automotive technology changing the way we work and live?
New automotive technologies are already making cars safer, more efficient, and more connected to society. Through Nissan Intelligent Mobility, we are investing in autonomous drive, electric vehicles, and connected mobility solutions — three forces which are going to change our industry, and our world — in ways we are only beginning to understand.
More empowered and confident drivers, less impact on the environment, and cars that are true partners in our lives are just some of the benefits we envision. Ultimately, these kinds of technologies have the potential to achieve a world with zero-emissions and zero-fatality mobility. That is our ultimate goal.
2. Nissan is developing a semi-autonomous system called proPILOT. Why is semi-autonomous a critical step in the evolution to fully driverless vehicles? Do you think cars will need a steering wheel (or available driver) in the future?
Studies are telling us that the advancement towards completely autonomous driving not only requires us to develop the right technologies, but also change mindsets. A recent report from the Boston Consulting Group shows that public perception and social acceptance is still a challenge. People are concerned about issues of reliability, security, and safety. We need to take our customers on that journey — not expect them to leap frog to fully driverless vehicles — which is what ProPILOT offers.
The other reason is that there is a possibility that sensor and artificial intelligence technologies might not reach a level that will allow us to deploy driverless technology in mass production models, at least in the short term. Technologies such as ProPILOT can ensure we can bring autonomous drive options to customers now while we keep evolving the driverless technologies.
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