What Is ProPilot in New Nissan Cars and SUVs?

Sep 16, 2016

Nissan front motion sensor

Automakers are in a race to develop new vehicles with semi-autonomous driving functionalities. Yet, until now, the majority have been available for luxury brands like Tesla, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. That’s changing with Nissan’s introduction of ProPilot, which will debut in Japan this year, as well as in the U.S. in coming months.

ProPilot will make this technology available at a fraction of the cost of those offered by luxury manufacturers. And the system is just as innovative.

Nissan’s ProPilot enables navigation of congested roads and can actually drive the vehicle on single-lane roads. The system also integrates a variety of safety features – including alerting inattentive drivers and requiring the driver to have a hand on the wheel – to ensure drivers stay alert behind the wheel.

We couldn’t be more excited at Naples Nissan. This technology is revolutionizing automobiles, helping to make them more efficient through optimized driving and helping to prevent accidents. And it’s coming sooner than later. Already, ProPilot will be first introduced overseas on the Serena and Qashqai (a Rouge-like SUV). Plus, during the next four years, Nissan will slowly introduce semi-autonomous features in 10 vehicles in the U.S.

Nissan Pathfinder

What Can ProPilot Do?

Like many semi-autonomous driving systems, ProPilot requires the vehicle to be fitted with a high-definition camera. In this case, the camera was developed by Nissan partner ZF TRW Automotive Holdings. The camera does the critical task of detecting moving and stationary objects in the roadway, and it can decipher lane markers and road barriers.

Through the camera, ProPilot can take hold of the wheel on single-lane highway roads. Nissan says the system can accelerate, stop, slow down and keep pace with traffic. Yet, the system also requires drivers to stay alert. When the driver’s hand has not touched the wheel in 10 seconds, ProPilot warns the driver. And if the driver does not respond, the system disengages.

Diagram of ProPilot Components

The Evolution of Nissan’s Semi-Autonomous Technology

ProPilot has been in the works since 2013, when Nissan committed to developing a self-driving vehicle by 2020. Currently, a team of researchers from MIT, Stanford and Carnegie Mellon are working to bring that to market, but many of their innovations are already in use in the ProPilot suite.

Plus, Nissan announced that, in addition to ProPilot, a range of other features will be released over the next half decade. By 2018, Nissan said they add the ability for the vehicle to make lane changes, and by 2020, Nissan said they’re hoping to add semi-autonomous city driving and the ability to traverse intersections.

ProPilot: A Driver Assistance System

Although Nissan’s system is advanced, the manufacturer stressed that it’s not designed to take full control of the vehicle. Instead, with ProPilot, drivers must stay alert and attentive to the roadway. And since this is a new technology, Nissan said that they must educate drivers to ensure the brand’s high safety standards are met.

Overall, the ProPilot announcement is exciting news. As it’s rolled out for U.S. drivers over the next four years, semi-autonomous driving will be finally available at an affordable price point. Plus, driving will be easier and safer in the long run, thanks to the system’s ability to detect and slowdown possible accidents. At Naples Nissan, we couldn’t be more excited. This is a proud achievement from Nissan, and we’re happy to be a partner as this technology goes mainstream.