Bedford Driving Lessons

In its latest display of ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ Audi is set to return to a venue synonymous with its past motorsport successes when a “driverless” TTS Coupe quattro tackles the infamous Pikes Peak Hill Climb in the USA. The non-competitive “drive” would be 30 years after the German manufacturer’s quattro permanent four-wheel-drive technology first appeared. The Autonomous Audi TTS Coupe quattro is the direct result of work underway at the Volkswagen Group Automotive Innovation Laboratory (VAIL) – a collaborative effort set up by the Volkswagen Group Electronics Research Laboratory and Stanford University USA to advance car technology. Currently in the testing phase, the Autonomous Audi TTS quattro is being developed for several still-to-be determined real-world driving challenges in 2010, including a possible drive up the legendary 12.42-mile Pikes Peak Hill Climb route in Colorado USA. This will not be a competition run, however, and is separate from the actual Hill Climb Championships being staged next June. The Autonomous Audi TTS project is not aimed at making motorists, or the thrill of driving, dispensable. Instead, it is intended to explore the best capabilities of current and future driver assistance technologies to help Audi enhance the experience behind the steering wheel for future driver generations. Dr. Burkhard Huhnke, executive director of the Electronics Research Laboratory, has noted that the technology found in the Autonomous Audi TTS quattro could help motorists respond more effectively to changing traffic conditions to reduce road congestion and allow better reactions to safety hazards. Dr. Huhnke also suggests the technology could return time to the car owners by taking care of routine driving chores, such as locating an assigned space in a car park. More