Self-driving cars pose a dilemma to carmakers

Washington

FOR a glimpse of one of motoring's thorniest modern dilemma, look no further than two contradictory TV ads for Infiniti's new Q50.

In one, a narrator mocks the biggest trend in cars, self-driving technology, as boring and overbearing, taking "the wheel right from your very hands". In another, a man celebrates the fact that the Q50 can speed up, steer and stop on its own, via upgrades that show the luxury sedan has an "instinct to protect". It is a revealing display of the problem that carmakers face in selling a technology that is arriving far faster than many expected. The fully automated car may seem like a dream of the future, but early versions are already rolling into showrooms, whether buyers are ready or not.