YOKOSUKA, Japan -- Nissan Motor Co.'s new package of self-driving features technically doesn't need a human hand on the wheel. With the flick of a switch, the system effortlessly steers vehicles through the S-curves of Nissan's proving ground as the driver largely stands by.
But the company wants customers to remember its limits.
"This is not self-driving. It is, rather, a driver-assistant system," Executive Vice President Hideyuki Sakamoto said while unveiling the technology at a news conference Wednesday, July 13.
The distinction is important as autonomous driving systems come under heightened scrutiny following the fatal crash of a Tesla Model S into a tractor-trailer in the U.S.