Nissan announces first on-road autonomous vehicle tests in Europe

Nissan intends to test and demonstrate its autonomous driving technology in Europe.

The first opportunity for on-road autonomous will come via the LEAF (and Qashqai), starting from next month in London.

And once again, the announcement also speaks of a new LEAF that is "coming soon". This new LEAF will have the capability of single lane autonomous driving on motorways.

"Showcasing next-generation technology through the world’s best-selling electric vehicle, the on-road demonstrations will take place in London, enabling the vehicles and their passengers to cover a diverse city environment. Passengers, including government officials and technical and safety experts, will be given the opportunity to experience and test the technology in a live environment in a modified Nissan LEAF. These will be the first demonstrations of Nissan’s autonomous drive technology on public roads in Europe, representing the next step in Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility blueprint for transforming how cars are driven, powered, and integrated into wider society. It follows recent announcements that both the refreshed Qashqai and the new LEAF, both coming soon, will be equipped with autonomous drive technology to enable single lane autonomous driving on motorways."

Nissan Intelligent Mobility Autonomous LEAF - Starts on road testing in February in London

Paul Willcox, Chairman, Nissan Europe, said