By now, everyone and their pets knows that there is a new generation Audi A8 out, but how many know that it has Level 3 autonomous driving?
Well, unless you’re familiar with our coverage of the system, you should know that the manufacturer claims that this is the first car on the market with Level 3, a system that works similar to Tesla’s Autopilot, allowing drivers to relax in congested traffic situations.
The system only works at speeds of up to 60km/h (37mph), and it can take care of the throttle, brake, and steering on its own. Audi claims that it can also handle some not-so-pleasant situations, such as having another vehicle cut in front.
However, drivers shouldn’t relax all the way, because the AI Traffic Jam Pilot, which is Ingolstadt’s slang for autonomous driving, has a system that detects if the person behind the wheel had their eyes closed for a long period of time. And if they had, then the technology will alert them to resume driving, going all the way to fully stopping the A8 in its lane, if ignored.
Now that we’ve covered the basics of the Level 3 autonomous driving, let’s see how it works in the real world, in the hands of automotive journalists, who were allowed to take Audi’s new flagship saloon to Dusseldorf, Germany, in order to test it.