Honda Legend Becomes First Car to Earn Level 3 Autonomous Driving Approval
Honda achieves a major automotive milestone as the Legend sedan becomes the first vehicle to receive official government approval for Level 3 self-driving technology. The new Traffic Jam Pilot system takes full control of the car in congested highway conditions.
Honda achieves a major automotive milestone as the Legend sedan becomes the first vehicle in the world to receive official government approval for Level 3 autonomous driving capability. The Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism grants this historic type designation after Honda successfully configures its system to meet strict regulatory requirements and define clear accountability protocols in case of a collision.
The automaker calls its new self-driving technology "Traffic Jam Pilot," which gives the vehicle complete control over all driving operations while navigating through congested freeway traffic. Because the design of this technology specifically limits operation to heavy traffic conditions, Honda likely imposes strict speed limitations on the system to ensure maximum safety for the driver and surrounding vehicles.
Due to the specific legal parameters required for this approval, Honda only offers this advanced driver-assistance feature in its home country of Japan. The company plans to introduce these Traffic Jam Pilot-equipped Legend models before March 31st, 2021, and expects the innovative technology to appear primarily in the hybrid variants of the upcoming lineup.