Next-gen Audi A8 will drive itself

Not content with Mercedes-Benz hogging the autonomous vehicle limelight at Frankfurt this week, Audi says its next-generation A8 limousine will set a new benchmark for self-driving cars when it appears in 2016.

While Audi revealed facelifted A8 and high-performance S8 models at the IAA, Mercedes went one better by revealing the an S-Class that recently drove 100km across Germany by itself.

But Audi CEO Rupert Stadler said at Frankfurt that Volkswagen’s premium brand is the leader in the field of autonomous driving technology and ridiculed Mercedes-Benz for merely emulating his company.

"I would say we are in a leading position," he said. “What you see now from Mercedes, it's a copy of what we see from Audi one or two years ago.

"The Mercedes guys have seen what Audi did and have been upset and said ‘we have to show something, with just a little bit more’. It's just competition. We like that -- it makes us move faster."

Stadler said Audi already has the know-how to deliver self-driving cars, and promised that the next generation of its flagship A8 limousine will set new standards in the field.

"I would say the successor of the A8 will define the next quantum leap [in autonomous driving]," he said.

But if you thought some of the options on luxury cars were expensive today, hands-free driving technology will make your eyes water, potentially doubling the price of the car.

"It will be expensive," stated Stadler. "No innovation is a cheap thing. We have to invest in the pre-phase very much, like for the electromobility. But it's up to us as an entrepreneur to see and feel a business case and if this works, you bring it to the market."

Even so, the cost of implementing automated driving systems is not the prohibiting factor in its rollout. The most significant hurdle for autonomous cars will be government regulation.

"It's not the problem of technology, believe me," said Stadler, who highlighted issues such as liability and insurance in the event of an accident.

"Technological wise, I think the game is open, but regulation wise, it's not dependent on us. You need governments, regulators, assurances. Who is finally responsible if something goes wrong? If the traffic is like it is in LA, it could also get difficult.

"It's not only so easy as we see it in every film," quipped the Audi CEO.

Today, only the US states of California, Florida and Nevada have laws allowing for autonomous cars to navigate public roads, and Audi is waiting on the outcome of pending European legislation.

Many vehicles available today can already accelerate, brake and even steer themselves for short periods of time. And despite legal problems that lie ahead for self-driving cars, Audi is confident it's catchcry of Vorsprung durch Technik (advancement through technology) will deliver the next big stride towards driverless cars.

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