Nissan Motor Co. will launch its self-parking cars through its Autonomous Drive systems in 2016 and will be commercially viable in 2020, as announced by its president and chief executive Carlos Ghosn on July 16 at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan.
The automaker is gradually introducing the Autonomous Drive technologies or systems, which aim to improve road safety and driving conditions through programming everyday tasks for motorists. In comparison with other self-driving vehicles by other carmakers, Nissan’s models allow the driver to be in control and be “at the wheel” while still equipped with functions from the Autonomous Drive systems.
Ghosn also said in a statement that technologies such as highway traffic management systems and automate lane controls will be introduced in the four years to come.
"We are bringing to market a traffic-jam pilot, a technology enabling cars to drive autonomously – and safely – on congested highways. In the same timeframe, we will make fully-automated parking systems available across a wide range of vehicles,” said Ghosn.
In 2018, Nissan will introduce the multiple-lane controls that would let cars autonomously negotiate change lanes and hazards. Before the decade ends, the company will introduce the intersection autonomy that would enable cars to also negotiate city crossroads without the need for driver intervention.
Besides announcing the impending rollout of its self-parking cars, Ghosn also mentioned “the pressing need to embrace gender diversity,” considered to be among the primary socio-economic trends that affect the car industry worldwide.
"This means recognizing the vital role that women play as consumer-purchasers, decision-makers and managers throughout the car industry,” said Ghosn.
Nissan targets to fill up 10 percent of the company’s management ranks with female employees in 2017, which is up by three percent from its current proportion. Ghosn disclosed that the percentage of women in managerial positions is in fact more than twice than other big Japanese manufacturers.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a call for companies to place women in 30 percent of top positions or management roles by 2020, as part of their strategy to encourage women to work in their country—to which Ghosn disagreed.
“He’s very ambitious, and I’m very modest,” Ghosn said. “What I don’t want is a burst of females in management with a lot of failure after. Just make sure that you are advancing safely in a way where one step in front is not followed by half a step behind.”
There are those who see the bright side of such targets, such as Keiko Tashiro, who is among the most senior women executives in the financial industry in Japan.
"I think targets are, to some extent, necessary," said Tashiro, executive managing director at Daiwas Securities Group, to Reuters. She, however, added that more discussions are needed as to why such targets are essential and how it can be achieved.
Based on research, Japan is the third-biggest economy in the world but is faced with a declining workforce because of a quickly ageing population. At present, women fill up only one percent of the top executive positions and 11 percent of mid-to-senior managerial roles.
