Audi prototype drives itself to Las Vegas

Car-maker Audi hopes to wow the world with a 900-kilometre tour for its self-driving prototype, from California's Silicon Valley to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

 “With the test drive from the west coast of California to Las Vegas we're demonstrating our leading role in the area of self-driving cars”, Audi technical development director Professor Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg said in a statement.

The prototype, an Audi A7 nicknamed “Jack” by engineers, can drive itself at up to 110 km/h on motorways, performing lane changes and overtaking automatically, the company said.

Standard sensors such as radars, as well as some that will be installed on future models, including a 3D camera and a laser scanner, allow the car to match its speed to others around it and to perform road manoeuvres.

Human drivers take back control from the automatic systems before entering built-up areas, which are currently too complex for the car to navigate by itself.

If the driver ignores the signals to take back the wheel, the car automatically brings itself to a stop on the hard shoulder.