Wellington: Embattled Swedish firm Volvo is now aiming to manufacture cars that can drive themselves and avoid crashes.
The company discussed its plans during a recent autonomous-driving event at a track in Hallered, Sweden.
“Our vision is that no one is killed or injured in a new Volvo by 2020,” Volvo's head of government affairs Anders Eugensson said.
According to Stuff.co.nz, the firm is preparing to launch in 2014 its first batch of autonomous vehicles capable of driving up to 50kmh, with the technology expected to be used initially in heavy traffic.
“We are convinced this is the future and we want to get there first,” the report quoted Marcus Rothoff, head of developing driver assistance technology at Volvo, as saying.
According to the report, Volvo is one of several companies investing large sums to develop the autonomous vehicles, despite the complex legal problems that need to be overcome.
The Daily Mail said the biggest hurdle to introducing autonomous cars was not the technology, which was largely developed, but public acceptance and issues of who would be liable if a crash-proof car actually did crash, the driver or the manufacturer.
ANI
First Published: Wednesday, December 05, 2012, 13:09