Nissan Might Make A GT-R That'll Drive Itself Around The 'Ring
You know how the Nissan GT-R’s critics say that it just “drives itself”? It’s usually something said in reference to the sophisticated four-wheel drive system and host of driver aids that keep you on the black stuff, but the next GT-R might actually drive itself.
Topgear.com recently spoke to Richard Candler - Nissan’s Advance Product Strategy head - about the plan for Nissan to produce a total of 10 autonomous vehicles in partnership with Renault by 2020. That’s a lot of cars, so naturally that leads you to wonder if it might include the GT-R. Turns out it might well do.
Part of Candler’s vision for the future involves the prospect of “turning up to the Nürburgring in your GT-R, and being able to select one of the famous laps and the car just taking over…The latest Nismo did 7m08s with Michael Krumm at the wheel; you could just select the Michael Krumm setting, press go and before you know it, you’re launched round the track. Something that most people could never achieve suddenly becomes very accessible.”
I don’t know about you, but I can’t see how this is appealing. In the slightest. You aspire to own a fast car because it’s fun to drive, not because it might be nice to hand the keys over to someone who’s faster than you. Especially if that someone is the damn car itself.
And besides, does it matter that the lap time by Michael Krumm is beyond your reach? I am not a professional racing driver. I am nowhere near as fast as a professional racing driver. And knowing that doesn’t make driving to the best of my (somewhat limited) ability any less enjoyable.
Still, Candler does say a few things we like the sound of a little more, particularly in relation to how the dawn of autonomous cars might fit in with enthusiasts like us, by letting the car deal with the boring aspects of driving. “Take them [the dull parts of driving] away and it allows you to enjoy driving when it is fun. More time to enjoy driving.” The car taking over for the motorway trudge up to your favourite road or track? Sounds good to us.
Topgear.com via Jalopnik
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
Doesn’t it already do that?
I have another solution:
That way, you might just do it but you’d be more than broke.
I thought they already drove themselves?
I’d rather be 2 minutes slower driving myself, than getting record lap times by car that drives itself. If I wanted to know how it feels to drive record speed, I’d rather go as a passenger on a professional drivers driven car
then what’s the point of buying a performance car then ? -_-
That’s not so fun at all
It will only be usefull for posers that want to make people think they are racing drivers
There is a point, or at least an application. if I had the chance, I would love to be able to ride onboard ‘with’ Krumm, note the braking points, see (as you can on the GTR) the throttle usage, brake usage etc etc at each point and then learn and replicate it myself. You learn by observation.
Exactly. You can learn from it but it’d be tons of fun too.
This is what I was thinking. It should be used as a tool. They are coming at it like it’s the end of the world when in reality, if you can just hop in and watch how multiple drivers take to the ring in your car at the push of a button and see how you can change to drive better why would you not.
I would love to try this, actually. Being autonomously driven around the Nurburgring at that kind of speed sounds fun. Besides, you can always turn it off.
Ha! So they’re making the worlds worst ‘drivers car’, even worse. Brilliant.