Nissan Motor Co. announced Wednesday that it is looking to make cars that can park themselves available by 2016.
The move was announced by the Japanese automaker's CEO Carlos Ghosn during a press conference in Tokyo, according to PC Magazine.
"By the end of 2016, Nissan will make available the next two technologies under its autonomous drive strategy," Ghosn said. "We are bringing to market a traffic-jam pilot, a technology enabling cars to drive autonomously- and safely- on congested highways. In the same timeframe, we will make fully automated parking systems available across a wide range of vehicles."
Several other automakers, such as Nissan's rivals Toyota and Ford, are already working on self-parking cars. However, Nissan plans to develop the technology on a different level, TechRadar UK reported.
"You need to be first with very significant features. There's always a premium with those who come first," Ghosn said.
Google has also been experimenting with autonomous technology, having introduced a self-driving car prototype in May, which is small and appears similar to a Volkswagen Bug, PC Magazine reported. The search giant said the vehicles don't come with a steering wheel, brake pedal, or accelerator pedal, "because they don't need them." Google's goal is to build close to 100 prototypes featuring manual controls and test them this summer, as well as to start a small pilot program for the technology in California in the next few years if the tests are successful.
Self-parking cars are just one of the many driverless car projects Nissan has planned, which include introducing cars that change lanes and pass through road hazards automatically by 2018. The company also plans to make its cars able to handle intersections the same way by 2020.
Ghosn said Nissan designed its self-driving technologies to automate everyday tasks in order to increase safety on the road and driving conditions. He warned, however, that the company is far away from creating real self-driving cars that don't need any assistance from humans. The automaker first mentioned its intent to get involved in self-driving cars in August of last year.
