Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. announced today that the new Serena, scheduled to go on sale in Japan in late August, will come equipped with the company’s ProPILOT

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. announced today that the new Serena, scheduled to go on sale in Japan in late August, will come equipped with the company’s ProPILOT autonomous drive technology, offering convenience and peace of mind during highway mobility.

ProPILOT

ProPILOT is a revolutionary autonomous drive technology designed for highway use in single-lane traffic. Nissan is the first Japanese automaker to introduce a combination of steering, accelerator and braking that can be operated in full automatic mode, easing driver workload in heavy highway traffic and long commutes.

Employing advanced image-processing technology, the car’s ProPILOT system understands road and traffic situations and executes precise steering enabling the vehicle to perform naturally. ProPILOT technology is extremely user-friendly, thanks to a switch on the steering wheel that allows the driver to easily activate and deactivate the system. ProPILOT’s easy-to-understand and fit-to-drive interface includes a personal display showing the operating status.

System Configuration

The accelerator, brakes and steering are controlled based on information obtained through a mono camera equipped with advanced-image processing software. The ProPILOT camera can quickly recognize in three-dimensional depth both preceding vehicles and lane markers.

Functions

Once activated, ProPILOT automatically controls the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle, using a speed preset by the driver (between approximately 30 km/h and 100 km/h). The system also keeps the car in the middle of the highway lane by reading lane markers and controlling steering, even through curves.

If a car in front stops

The ProPILOT system automatically applies the brakes to bring the vehicle to a full stop. After coming to a full stop, the vehicle will remain in place even if the driver’s foot is off the brake pedal. When ready to resume driving, ProPILOT is activated when the driver touches the switch again or lightly presses the accelerator.

Nissan is carrying out intensive studies of driving conditions in various regions so that ProPILOT will be well suited to the conditions in the markets in which it will be launched. The ProPILOT system equipped on the Serena in Japan was developed in pursuit of an easy-to-use technology for highway driving conditions in Japan.

Making Zero Fatalities a Reality

Nissan is proactively working on vehicle intelligence and vehicle electrification to make its corporate visions of “Zero Emissions” and “Zero Fatalities” a reality. Under “Nissan Intelligent Mobility”, ProPILOT promotes safety and instills confidence in drivers, and it is part of “Nissan Intelligent Driving”.

ProPILOT will be introduced into other vehicles, including the Qashqai in Europe in 2017. There are also plans for the technology to be introduced in the U.S. and China markets. A multi-lane autonomous driving technology will enable automatic lane changes on highways and is planned for introduction in 2018 while autonomous driving on urban roads and in intersections is planned for launch in 2020.

Nissan will advance its leadership in autonomous drive technology by introduction in each market’s core models, further improving safety and pioneering a new era for the automobile.

Inspired by the latest Intelligent Park Assist Technology Nissan Presents The First Automated “Intelligent Parking Chair”

Inspired by the latest Intelligent Park Assist Technology Nissan Motor Presents The World's First Automated “Intelligent Parking Chair”

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. announced the first “Intelligent Parking Chair”, a concept inspired by its intelligent park assist technology that allows drivers to easily park their vehicles using automatic steering.

The “Intelligent Parking Chair” is a unique chair that automatically moves to a set position. The chair includes a roller to automatically move 360 degrees paired with a system that indicates the target position. Four cameras placed on the room’s ceiling generate a bird’s-eye view to wirelessly transmit the chair’s position and its route to destination.

With this innovation in office technology, Japanese businessmen are now freed from the troublesome task of arranging chairs, using this new technology already adopted in Nissan vehicles.      

BACK STORY

The Intelligent Parking Chair is a promotional project that materializes Nissan’s corporate vision of “enriching people’s lives through technology”. It was produced in collaboration with the award-winning creative team BIRDMAN. This concept aims at increasing knowledge around the latest technology adopted by Nissan vehicles, while showing how this is slowly changing our daily lives.

CONCEPT

The “Intelligent Parking Chair” was inspired from Nissan’s latest “Intelligent Park Assist” technology. The base “Bird’s-eye view” and “Automatic Movement” concepts are also introduced in the Intelligent Parking Chair. Conversely, the surprise and comfort earned from this effortless process can be equally seen in the Intelligent Parking Chair.

The system of the Intelligent Park Assist uses four cameras on the car body (the front, rear, and both wing mirrors). The system converts video footage from the cameras and composites a virtual bird’s-eye view image that allows automatic steering.

The Intelligent Parking Chair also uses four cameras placed on each corner of the room’s ceiling. The cameras will locate the chair’s current position, while the system calculates the chair’s route to return to its original position. 

Toyota has moved towards taking Diahatsu as a wholly owned subsidiary with a completion date of August.

Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) and its subsidiary Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd. (Daihatsu) have reached an agreement whereby Daihatsu will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toyota by way of a share exchange (expected to be completed in August 2016).

The purpose of the agreement is to develop ever-better cars by adopting a unified strategy for the small car segment, under which both companies will be free to focus on their core competencies. Ultimately, this will help Daihatsu and Toyota to attain their joint goal of achieving sustainable growth.

Additionally, the aim of the share exchange is to enhance the value of both brands. 

Although Toyota and Daihatsu will engage in friendly competition and maintain separate management styles that capitalize on their respective capabilities, bringing the two together under a shared strategy will enable them to jointly overcome otherwise prohibitive obstacles in the future, including resource-intensive undertakings such as the development of next-generation technologies and entry into business areas with growth potential.

Explaining the decision, Toyota President Akio Toyoda said, "This is an opportunity for us both to stop feeling that we need to go it alone, and trust each other to take full advantage of our respective strengths. In other words, we can now focus on our core competencies. That, I believe, is the key to achieving and sustaining global competitiveness."

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. has released an overview of its exhibit at the 44th Tokyo Motor Show.

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. has released an overview of its exhibit at the 44th Tokyo Motor Show, which will be held at Tokyo Big Sight and open to the public from October 30 through November 8.

Among the exhibits will be Teatro for Dayz, an innovative concept that signals a new direction in mobile technology. Designed especially for the digital native generation, this vision of near-future vehicles departs from convention and marks a shift in perception.

Major Nissan exhibit components include:

• Nissan Gripz Concept, making its Japan debut following its unveiling at the 2015 Frankfurt Auto Show last month
• Upgraded Nissan Leaf with increased battery capacity, resulting in significantly longer driving range
• Leading-edge autonomous drive and safety technologies
• Nissan Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo

A total of 20 vehicles will be on display, including the X-Trail Hybrid Mode Premier and Juke 16GT Four Personalization models; and special-feature models, including the Skyline 350GT Hybrid Type-SP Cool Exclusive, Fuga 370GT Type-S Cool Exclusive and Serena Highway Star V Selection.

The Nissan booth will be in West Exhibition Hall 2. Further details of the main featured vehicles:

Teatro for Dayz –A new approach to driving the next-generation

Nissan describes the generation that went straight from the cradle to digital technology as “share natives.” This generation will reach driving age in a few years, but has shown little interest in cars so far. What kind of cars will move share natives? Will they even want to drive? Nissan has designed a provocative solution: Teatro for Dayz.

Teatro for Dayz: Its name is drawn from the Italian word for theater and a Nissan minicar.  This concept has an innovative design and features that enable share natives to create and share experiences immediately with friends both onboard and online. Designed under the concept “a clean canvas,” its key feature is its smooth white interior that allows the instrument panel, seats and even door trim to serve as a blank canvas for expression.

Built on Nissan's EV technology, Teatro for Dayz is as much a giant mobile battery as four-wheel transportation. To a share native, this is the point: Cars can be mobile devices for occupants interested in creating, connecting and sharing.

What Teatro for Dayz is and how it's used will finally be decided by share natives themselves. At the motor show, you will get a glimpse into the future and see the creativity of the next generation at play.

Nissan Gripz Concept — EV-based series hybrid sports crossover

The Nissan Gripz Concept, conceived by designers in Europe and Japan, aims to blend the ability and practicality of a compact crossover with the excitement and performance of a sports car.

Equipped with an EV-technology-based series hybrid system—Pure Drive e-Power—, the Nissan Gripz Concept delivers a smooth, refined and exhilarating driving experience with outstanding fuel efficiency. Within the system, an efficient gasoline engine powers the same electric motor used in the Nissan Leaf.

The exterior of the Nissan Gripz Concept is guided by the “emotional geometry” body sculpting concept which depicts strong contrasts through the dynamic, tensional, yet edgy, surface. The interior has a “gliding wing” instrument panel, with an elegantly thin design that combines strength with simplicity.

Nissan Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo — New color, enhanced presence

Nissan Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo, a concept supercar developed in conjunction with Polyphony Digital Inc., the creators of the racing video game Gran Turismo for PlayStation, is certain to further increase Nissan’s sizable presence in the game and beyond.

The latest creation in the Vision Gran Turismo Project was unveiled at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2014 in England. In new Fire Knight red body color and featuring a new expression of Nissan’s signature V-Motion grille, the Nissan Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo is a real-world embodiment of a virtual car, through which gamers around the world experience Nissan's dynamic performance and innovation.

NB:“PlayStation” and “Gran Turismo” are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc.