FUTURISTIC robot vehicles that require no driver could soon be rolling off a North-East production line, a car manufacturer has revealed.

Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn has set a target for the Japanese firm to introduce what he called “autonomous drive vehicles” to the mass market by 2020.

Prototypes of the groundbreaking cars are already being tested behind closed doors and Etienne Henry, Nissan’s vice president for product planning, said the firm’s high-tech Sunderland plant would be ideally placed to be the location to make the next revolution in motoring.

“Sunderland has proved with Leaf and the investment in Infiniti that it has all of the capabilities to handle major projects,” Mr Henry told The Northern Echo.

“It has delivered time and time again in terms of quality and productivity so it would obviously be a strong candidate for autonomous drive.”

The technology, which has featured in science fiction movies, such as Total Recall starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, is close to becoming a reality.

The latest version of Nissan’s popular Qashqai features a host of high-tech features which park the car for the driver as well as read road signs and avoid collisions.

The only missing link is the computer software to make it drive itself, and Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn has said that this could be in place as early as 2020.

“Nissan Motor Company’s willingness to question conventional thinking and to drive progress is what sets us apart,” said the Nissan chief executive.

“In 2007 I pledged that by 2010 Nissan would mass market a zeroemission vehicle. Today, the Nissan Leaf is the best-selling electric vehicle in history. Now I am committing to be ready to introduce a new ground-breaking technology, autonomous drive, by 2020, and we are on track to realise it.”

Nissan is not the only manufacturer looking into driverless cars.

Audi and Toyota have both displayed driverless car prototypes.

But Mr Henry, who said he has travelled in a driverless car on the test track, confirmed that Nissan’s version would be priced for the mass market.

“We are about innovation and excitement, but also affordability is key.” he said.

In the meantime, Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, has announced that driverless cars will be introduced to the streets of Milton Keynes. Up to 20 of the vehicles will travel on special pathways separated from pedestrians around the Buckinghamshire town’s shopping centre.

By mid-2017 it is planned that 100 fully autonomous cars will be in operation, sharing pathways with pedestrians and equipped with sensors to avoid collisions.

The driverless pods, which can carry two people each, will be able to travel at a maximum speed of 12mph and come with screen that allows passengers to check email and browse the internet while being ferried to their destination.

“Driverless cars are another invention that has the potential to generate the kind of high-skilled jobs we want Britain to be famous for, as well as cutting congestion and pollution and improving road safety,” said Dr Cable.