Nissan’s ProPilot Assist Provides L2 Autonomy

The 2018 Nissan Leaf, scheduled to debut on September 6, adds ProPilot Assist, which provides SAE Level II autonomy. It will stop and start on its own in stop-and-go traffic and it will keep to its lane on the freeway, though you’ll still be in control with your hands on the wheel. That last bit is the legal disclaimer.

In the bigger picture of frenzied autonomous car development, Nissan’s system is a small step towards the ability to text or have breakfast during your morning commute. It appears to be a half-step short of Cadillac’s SuperCruise, which goes on sale this fall and is also described as “Level II,” and it’s certainly short of the 2019 Audi A8’s AI Traffic Jam Pilot, though it’s unclear whether that system – hands and feet off up to 37 mph, and automated parking – will be legal anywhere when the car goes on sale later this year.