Honda Launches Safer Self-Driving Cars, But They Will Be Hard To Come By: Here’s Why

Honda Motor Co. (HMC) rolled out a safer version of its self-driving vehicles that it will begin leasing on Friday, March 5, but the limited edition car will not be offered to the masses.

The Japanese automaker will only offer the Legend EX with its Sensing Elite technology in Japan, and only 100 of the cars manufactured. The retail price of the vehicle is 11 million yen ($102,000), Reuters reported.

Honda said the Sensing Elite platform is a variation of its Sensing system that features a suite of advanced safety and driver-assisted technologies. The Elite is the latest variation of the technology, which is Level 3 certified with features such as Traffic Jam Pilot that allows for automated driving in a limited or congested area.

The platform works by determining the position of the vehicle along with road conditions, using 3D high-definition maps and the global navigation satellite system. This allows for the detection of the Legend EX’s surroundings through a series of external sensors.

The Sensing Elite system also tracks the condition of the driver with a camera inside the car, while an electronic control unit monitors current and future conditions to control acceleration, braking, and steering.

Honda received Level 3 certification for the Sensing Elite system from the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. The Sensing Elite system had about 10 million patterns of possible real-world driving conditions simulated during its development and performed about 800,000 miles of live demonstration testING on expressways.

Other features of the Sensing Elite system include Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow, Lane Keeping Assist, and Active Lane Change Assist for hands-free driving. There is also an Emergency Stop Assist feature if the driver becomes unresponsive to multiple requests for transfer of control, which will move the car to the road shoulder to stop the vehicle.

The technology also includes a redundant system to ensure safety and reliability in the event that a device would fail.

Honda said it subtly integrated the Sensing unit into the Legend EX’s body panels to discreetly allow for automated driving without bulky devices implanted on the vehicle.

Reuters said that Honda has no plans to increase production or sales of the Legend EX equipped with the Sensing Elite autonomous system.