Incredible technology. Would be nice to see the other end of the spectrum. Why can't I get a nice car, that doesn't have to have an entire supercomputer network to run it?
Bob Strong
"But, your honor, of course it was safe to be texting; I had my car on auto-pilot. It's not my fault that my car ran down that pedestrian crossing the street."
Benjamin Wade
Hey VoiceofReason. I have a nice Yugo I can sell you cheap. No computers and motor doesn't work either.
Slowburn
re; Benjamin Wade If you would have performed the required maintenance the engine wouldn't have died with the timing belt.
Bill Bennett
my 1989 Audi Avant has all those features and more, it is called a focused driver behind the wheel, just waiting for one these cars to leave some moron stopped on railroad tracks or running over someone in a crosswalk
VoiceofReason
Ben, I said a nice car. Like a Cadillac that doesn't need more computing power than an F-16. I know I'm a breed apart. Always hated a lot of so called luxury features. Anyone not capable of rolling up a window, shouldn't be driving.
MasterG
Voice of reason i hear you. My luxury sedan completely disabled itself and had to be towed back to be reactivated out of safe mode cos tried to replace the radio without having a laptop plugged into it. Cost more than my new radio to switch my car back on. Apparently sudden changes in voltage (disconnecting the battery) caused it to protect itself from me. The power windows would disable until i replace a blown head light. VAGCOM is what you need. Since my boyracer days are over i tuned that nanny computer into high efficiency. That hated computer became my friend once it started listening to me. The repetitive BONG! "warning speed limit exceeded!" i could finally turn off.
cachurro
When I turn on the frontal lights (or however these are called) my car thinks it's at night and dims the console brightness. The result is: I can't see the console when I turn on the lights on a sunny day at the freeway, which is obligatory in Argentina. And the console's manual brightness control range is much lower than the automatic dimming so I am screwed!
Brian Empey
So, Cadillac (GM's flagship) is testing systems similar to what Europeans already have in the Passat and other models?
Does anyone remember the US DoD's DARPA project for autonomous vehicles, with a race from LA to Las Vegas and a $1 Million prize for un-manned cars? MIT dropped out after a few years. Cal Tech didn't win. It wasn't Carnegie Mellon. Or GM or Ford. The first vehicle to complete the race was a VW Touareg SUV. And that was years ago! The European VWs will park parallel or perpendicular to the road.
The Lexus can park itself, except if the road is on a hill, or a tilt, or there is no curb, or if there is a stone on the road! (meaning its a useless gimmick)
But America has something the Europeans don't have ... mega law suits. And that's why Europe has the cool tech, and we won't get it.
Facebook User
@Brian Empey Yes, I remember it. It wasn't MIT, it wasn't Cal Tech, it wasn't UCali, it wasn't Carnegie Melon. It wasn't GM or Ford. IT WAS STANFORD UNIVERSITY, an American university. http://www.gizmag.com/darpa-grand-challenge-winner-returns-to-silicon-valley/9503/ I knew that it wasn't Volkswagon that did it, it was just their chosen pilot vehicle because of size, price, and simplicity.