Self-Driving

At its core, Mini has always been a brand that challenges conventional automotive dimensions. The badge's new Vision Urbanaut takes the challenge into the future with a versatile, shape-shifting interior inside a set of smooth, timeless van lines.

After revealing plans to establish a nationwide network for self-driving trucks in the US just a few months ago, TuSimple has now announced it will be taking its technology to Europe, through a new partnership with Volkswagen subsidiary Traton Group.

While bicycle-sharing systems certainly are proving to be popular, they still have a few problems, such as the limited availability of bikes. Researchers at the MIT Media Lab are working on a solution, in the form of the MIT Autonomous Bicycle.

Through its years-long partnership with Waymo, Fiat Chrysler (FCA) has taken an active role in the development of self-driving technology, and is now expanding the scope of its efforts to include vehicles of a slightly larger footprint.

Self-driving startup Nuro has announced a new partnership with CVS, which will see its driverless vehicles deliver prescription medicines to customers home addresses in Texas within three hours of purchase.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has gained another ally in its pursuit of a self-driving future, teaming up with Voyager who it will provide with a purpose-built Pacifica to accommodate its autonomous vehicle technology for testing.

The US, like much of the world, is moving to keep contact between its residents to minimum as it grapples with the spread of coronavirus, and a new project taking place at the Mayo Clinic is exploring what this could mean for medical testing.

Vehicles that drive themselves – and you – around city streets and urban sprawls are coming whether we like it or not, and Jaguar Land Rover has jumped into the development arena with Project Vector.

RV chassis builder AL-KO joins Dethleffs and OzXcorp in working toward an electric-driven camping trailer that can partially power itself. Instead of leaving out the motorized RV segment, it's also developing an electrified motorhome chassis.

In a significant step forward for the autonomous vehicle industry, the US Department of Transport (DOT) has granted its first ever self-driving vehicle exemption to startup Nuro, meaning its autonomous delivery pod can now push ahead on public roads.

Dethleffs isn't the only company pondering an electrified camping trailer. Australian firm OzXcorp is hard at work on a supplementary e-drive to turn hard-edged off-road caravans into semi-self-propelled machines with Level 4 autonomous capabilities.

Volkswagen hinted at some degree of self-driving capability when announcing a production version of its ID. Buzz electric Kombi van in 2017, and it now appears Qatar will be among the first locales to experience these skills in full fight.