Is there anyone not working on developing autonomous cars?
Google (GOOGL), of course, has been the high-profile leader in the field, not just developing the vehicles, but shelling out big lobbying dollars to make self-driving cars street legal in three states. But the search giant isn’t alone. Volvo tested self-driving cars in Spain last year, and Ford (F) predicts autonomous vehicles to arrive by 2017.
Now, two more car makers are joining the fray. According to The Wall Street Journal, Toyota and Audi will demo self-driving cars at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week:
An Audi official also said the luxury-car company will be demonstrating autonomous vehicle capabilities at the Las Vegas show, including a feature that allows a car to find a parking space and park itself without a driver behind the wheel.
Toyota’s prototype vehicle is a Lexus LS 600h fitted with radar and camera equipment that can detect other vehicles, road lane lines and traffic signals, giving the vehicle the ability to navigate streets without a driver.
We’re particularly excited for the Audi feature, which should free up our hands for making lewd, gloating gestures when we our self-driven car beats out some poor sap who still drives himself for a parking spot.
