Volvo XC90 to get Level 4 autonomous driving by 2021

Volvo has announced that it plans to introduce an SUV with Level 4 autonomous driving in 2021, and it’ll likely debut with the next-generation XC90. The company will build the new XC90 at its new plant in South Carolina, and the car will be sold to the public as well.

Volvo senior vice president Henrik Green told The Car Connection that the next-generation XC90 will be able to transport “sleeping passengers” towards their destinations, albeit on limited routes. “That is the goal, yes,” Green said. The publication said that the feature could be called Highway Assist, which is a more advanced version of the existing Pilot Assist system.

However, Green said the system would be a premium add-on that costs somewhere in the four-figure region, although a number wasn’t specified. Level 4 semi-autonomous driving technology is largely inaccessible by the public today, and the system doesn’t require driver intervention if emergency action is needed.

Volvo has tested similar systems within the confines of its headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden, but has only supplied a small fleet to the US for self-driving tests to be carried out by companies such as Uber.

Green said the Highway Assist program uses cloud-based information but doesn’t rely on vehicle-to-infrastructure communications system. Instead, it will use lidar (light detection and ranging), radar and cameras that are integrated into the car.

The next step, Volvo says, is to work with federal and state regulators to approve the self-driving system, which so far has been a hurdle for other automakers such as Audi. Audi plans to introduce Level 3 semi-autonomous systems in the US, a system that is presently available on its flagship A8.

Meanwhile, by 2025, the Swedish carmaker expects to generate half of all sales from full electric cars, and one third of all cars to be autonomous driving cars.

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