Nissan brings a tiny bit of self-driving to the masses

New York

ON Sept 5 in the US, Nissan Motor Co will pull the cover off the 2018 Leaf, its first production vehicle that will steer and stop by itself - at least every once in a while.

This week, Nissan loaded its version of this hot tech onto some of its SUVs and brought them to New York for a test drive, the perfect place to put a new phase of autonomous technology through its paces. Driving in Manhattan requires a modicum of Zen, something most New Yorkers don't have - at least not when they're in a car. Anything to help commuters tune out a little, to tick up the chill a few notches, is helpful for everyone travelling along the city's congested arteries. That's precisely what Nissan's new system, dubbed ProPilot Assist, is supposed to do.