Nissan will include a self-driving option with the 2017 Qashqai for “around £1,500 ($1,910) in the U.K.”, which will let the car control acceleration, braking, and steering on single lanes and highways.
The self-driving system, called ProPILOT, is the first of three versions Nissan will release in the next four years. The first iteration is similar to Tesla’s AutoPilot, but customers that buy the 2017 Qashqai will be unable to purchase future versions.
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Nissan already sells a limited self-driving option with the Serena in Japan for 200,000 Yen, around $1,800. The company told Auto Express it intends to branch the option out to Europe with the Qashqai, before bringing it to other models.
The next version is already in the works
In 2018, Nissan plans to launch the second version, Highway Pilot. This version will give the car the ability to switch lanes and overtake on highways. The third version, Intercity Pilot, will enable the car to drive in urban areas autonomously.
“The second and third generations will use different kinds of sensors. The ProPILOT One uses cameras to identify traffic ahead of vehicles, there may be a software in the future, but these cameras cannot allow for more advanced autonomy like overtaking on motorways,” said Takashi Shirakawa, senior vice president of Nissan Technical Centre in Europe.
With governments in Europe starting to relax autonomous driving laws, Nissan should be able to offer these upgrades without much friction. The U.K. has already legalized self-driving tests on public roads and both France and Germany are looking to make it easier for drivers to use limited autonomous functionality.
