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Ever thought we’d see the day when in heavy rush hour traffic you could sit in a car that drove through on autopilot at 60 mph?
Well, the time has come with the new 2008 Opel Vectra. With a mix of lasers, computing power and a video camera, the car can sense turns, bends, signs, signals and acts accordingly while the driver relaxes. It ensures that the car is always maintained at the correct distance from the one ahead and brakes and accelerates accordingly.
Not to mention the presence of a small green alien creature called Kazoo which looks very like a Martian to make sure you can sit back and read in peace while it does all the piloting!
Will it be safe? Well that will be decided in the U.S. by the laws that prevail when the vehicle is launched at the end of the decade.
What price is this car expected to cost? Well, the current expectation is that it will cost around 50% higher than conventional cars available today with radar sensing simply because these cars are not in a position to steer and turn yet, just sense distance.
The point is whether something so computerized and running to heavy-duty algorithms will ensure absolute safety without the benefit of any human intervention in the case of unseen emergencies occurring. It could be anything – just something the car has not been programmed to react to could pose problems.
The car should be available in both the petrol and the diesel versions and is expected to be a 4-wheel drive souped-up SAAB. It should have a taller and wider body so there should be ample space inside and it will probably be one of the best mid-sized sedans as far as looks go.
Now for the specs. Yes, it has a 4 WD system with a 1,6, 1.8 and 2.0 liter gasoline motor, as well as a 200 hp 2.7 liter V6 Turbodiesel and a newly developed 2.8 liter V8 engine.
It comes with TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System), Park Pilot and a Visibility Package. For the ones who want automatic transmission, it is available in a six-speed-automatic gearbox version. In both the manual as well as the automatic versions, the speed limit has been electronically capped at 250 km/h.