Lexus LS Japan

Lexus to Release Autonomous Highway Driving LS Sedan in Japan This Fall


Lexus will introduce a LS sedan in the fall of 2020 that can drive by itself on highways, according to the Chunichi Shimbun in Japan.

The newspaper reports that a special edition of the production LS flagship will be able to enter the highway, change lanes and pass other vehicles, all automatically. The system will require the driver to maintain contact with the steering wheel, but most normal driving operations will be autonomously handled.

This is all part of an automotive technology blitz by Toyota during the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. During the global sports event this summer, self-driving Lexus prototypes will be available for test rides by the public, where the car will handle all driving operations.

(At this point, it’s unclear if this highway-driving LS will be available in markets outside Japan.)

AutonomousJapanLexus LS: Fifth GenerationTech

CRSKTN

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This has to be the level 2/3 car without the additional sensor arrays, they said the level 4 is going to be demoed at the games in controlled conditions, didn't they?

If so there is hopefully no reason not to offer it abroad.
 

CT200h

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Amazing that we still dont have some of these features in the USA yet on a flagship model. Auto lane change would be a good start.

come on guys get the lawyers off your backs somehow and make it happen, this isnt a technology issue its a self imposed legal / liability issue.
 

Ian Schmidt

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Amazing that we still dont have some of these features in the USA yet on a flagship model. Auto lane change would be a good start.

come on guys get the lawyers off your backs somehow and make it happen, this isnt a technology issue its a self imposed legal / liability issue.

To be fair, it currently seems like only Tesla is immune to the very predictable side effects of beta testing things on public roads. Everyone else doing it has at least been threatened with legal trouble. So Toyota likely wants to make sure it's very right first.
 

spwolf

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Lexus system will be more similar to Caddy than to Tesla - they will want to have fully mapped roads for these features.

But overall, Toyota is actually doing good with these systems. I would say overall they are by far the best manufacturer right now:
- They offer standard auto-brake in most of the vehicles if not all, depending on market
- They give all the features for free as long as hardware is there - so all cars have auto headlights and adaptive cruise control
- Managed to built inexpensive yet good system that is rated well in testing around the world.
- constant improvements on yearly basis for new vehicles and additional features added

They invested billions and got a great team in USA doing it, so this is clearly a job well done for Toyoda.
 

Will1991

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After Koji Sato's interview, we've got some more info. This new model will come with system developed by DENSO called Highway Teammate, will feature LiDAR and cameras.

It will start as a SAE Level 2 but is able to improve through over-the-air updates. It will be hands-off but not eyes-off and time to improvements is pending road validation.

Source:
 

krew

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20-02-10-lexus-ls-plus-concept.jpg

Lexus will release its first autonomous vehicle this year, but drivers will still have to pay attention when the system is active — from Automotive News:

The new model will be “hands off but not eyes off,” Lexus President Koji Sato told Automotive News Europe on the sidelines of a Toyota press event here. “It will start from Level 2 but it will have over-the-air updates so that for the future we can update the level,” Sato said.

It’s still a mystery which model will introduce the new technology, but an earlier report suggests it will be a new version of the LS sedan. The system is specifically made for the highway, where autonomous driving, passing, and lane changes will all be...

Continue reading...


 

CT200h

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Some are saying this is coming to the LS in the USA thus fall , along with a minor refresh , the system maybe more limited here on the USA , but still it looks pretty cool.
 

krew

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20-03-01-lexus-ls-plus-concept.jpg

Lexus may offer downloadable dynamic driving upgrades for its first autonomous vehicle — from an Automotive News interview with Lexus president Koji Sato:

Automotive News: The autonomous technology will be upgradable over the air (OTA). When do you plan to offer OTA?
Sato: It won’t be this year, but sometime in the future. The car that debuts this autumn will be OTA-ready, but OTA itself will not happen this year.
AN: What opportunities are there to create new revenue streams via over-the-air solutions?
S: One example — and this is just an idea — the customer could upgrade the driving character, the suspension settings or aerodynamics that are linked to performance and make them fit their own tastes. They could download this. Technology improvement never stops. At launch the technology is at the...

Continue reading...


 

suxeL

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For completeness sake, can anyone verify that the systems involved here will be operating on the current vehicle architecture found in every single TGNA product, or will this be a foundation rework of the onboard systems.

It seems like a modular product if its model wide, but that does mean a ground up redesign on the network?
 

CT200h

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I would bet its on current systems , not some new system as its coming on the 2021 LS500 this fall. Looks like maybe auto lane change or supervised auto lane change / navigation of some type.
 

spwolf

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I would bet its on current systems , not some new system as its coming on the 2021 LS500 this fall. Looks like maybe auto lane change or supervised auto lane change / navigation of some type.

level 2, upgradable to level 3.

First production vehicle with lidar sensors I would guess.

And yes, it would be advanced version of current systems, that can be upgraded... that does not mean that they would be upgrading rest of the systems in car, it would be independent and thus they can add it to anything in the future.
 

spwolf

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I hope their infotainment system would be upgradable over-the-air.

it is completely unrelated to safety system, but Toyota Europe's new multimedia update coming soon and also in new Yaris, will have over the air updates for base underlying OS, not just maps/bugs.

It does not mean it will look good or be a good system in any case, that is not related to the updates.
 

Joaquin Ruhi

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In a somewhat off-topic but nonetheless relevant development to this discussion, Audi has given up on introducing its Level 3 autonomy Traffic Jam Pilot on the current-generation A8. Instead, we'll see it no earlier than on the 5th-gen A8 due around the 2024-2025 model year time frame. Here's Automotive News Europe's very informative overview of the decision:

April 28, 2020
Audi quits bid to give A8 Level 3 autonomy
CHRISTIAAN HETZNER

FRANKFURT -- Audi has abandoned plans to introduce its Level 3, eyes-off autonomous driving technology in its A8 flagship sedan, a senior executive told Automotive News Europe.

The feature, called Traffic Jam Pilot, was the most significant technological breakthrough added to the latest-generation A8 that debuted in 2017. At that time Audi said the system would only be activated in markets where governments allowed it.

Since then, global regulators in Geneva have still not agreed on a type approval process for even the most rudimentary Level 3 functionality. At that level a vehicle can be put in auto pilot under certain circumstances, allowing the driver to take his eyes off the road.

Given the various regulatory delays, Audi says it won't have sufficient time to make its Level 3 system compliant in the A8, whose facelifted version is due to arrive next year already.

"We will not see the Traffic Jam Pilot on the road with its originally planned Level 3 functionality in the current model generation of the Audi A8 because our luxury sedan has already gone through a substantial part of its model life cycle," Audi Technical Development boss Hans-Joachim Rothenpieler told Automotive News Europe.

All other current production vehicles, including a forthcoming new flagship from Lexus, offer Level 2 autonomy, which provides assistance but requires the driver to remain in control of the vehicle at all times.

Audi had expected the A8 would be the first production car to have the eyes-off conditional autonomy available to private customers. (Waymo launched its Level 4 robocar taxi service Waymo One in Phoenix in December 2018, but this driverless technology is not available commercially).

The setback for Audi means it could end up trailing its its German rivals, if they keep their promises to launch Level 3 or higher systems in this new-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan due this year and the BMW iNEXT crossover due in 2021.

Rothenpieler cited problems getting regulatory approval for the Traffic Jam Pilot, which when operating would automatically transfer liability in the event of an accident from the driver to the manufacturer.

"Currently, there is no legal framework for Level 3 automated driving and it is not possible to homologate such functions anywhere in the world in a series production car," Rothenpieler said.

Audi initially planned for Traffic Jam Pilot to have restricted functionality, only capable of use on highways separated from oncoming traffic at speeds of up to 60 kph (37 mph). While the benefit may seem limited, drivers would no longer be responsible at all for operating the vehicle during periods of heavy, stop-and-go traffic, leaving them free to read, stream a movie or play video games as the vehicle drove itself.

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This image shows how the A8's Level 3 autonomous system was supposed to tell the driver to take back control.

Thus far all current systems on the market such as Tesla’s Autopilot and Super Cruise from General Motors are Level 2. At best, they are able to steer themselves, but require the driver to monitor the surroundings constantly and be prepared at a moment’s notice to assume control. Liability remains firmly with the individual behind the wheel.

Sources close to Audi told Automotive News Europe that corporate lawyers in particular have been critical of any Level 3 system, warning Audi executives that there are no guarantees customers would properly service the vehicle. Should an accident then occur while the car is piloting itself, Audi would be liable even if the system was still 99.9 percent safe at the time it was delivered to the customer.

In its annual 10-K regulatory filing to the SEC, Tesla attested to the problems. The U.S. electric automaker warned of the “likelihood of a patchwork of complex or conflicting regulations” that could delay or limit its full self-driving system, due to be launched at some point in the future, according to the company.

Automakers such as Volvo Cars consider the Level 3 driving mode "unsafe" and will "skip this level of autonomous driving,” CEO Hakan Samuelsson has said.

Rothenpieler agreed that the complications were significant obstacles on the way to even limited, eyes-off conditional autonomy. Therefore, Audi's focus has shifted to improving Level 2 driver-assistance systems that do not transfer any legal responsibility for the vehicle’s operation to the manufacturer at all.

Said Rothenpieler: “The euphoria in the auto industry around Level 3 has subsided substantially.”

https://europe.autonews.com/automak...utonomy?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter