The next generation Leaf EV will be the first with ProPilot driver assist in North American and Europe, and Nissan has just showed how that will look. Activated by a button on the steering wheel, it can control steering, braking and acceleration, but only in a single freeway lane. The driver can see exactly what's going on with the aid of a fancy animation front and center in the largely digital dashboard.
Automakers' self-driving systems will always be compared to Tesla, whose Autopilot is the most advanced available commercially. In Nissan's case, the ProPilot will help with boring highway cruising, but is a far cry from the semi-automatic Autopilot. Tesla's system can change lanes, match traffic speeds, automatically exit a freeway, self-park when near a parking spot and do canny emergency braking. .
