Skip to main content

Continental, Magna International to conduct real-world test of driverless vehicles

Two automated driving vehicles will travel more than 300 miles before arriving in Traverse City, Michigan, US as part of an international border demonstration by Continental and Magna International. The demonstration will start in southeast Michigan and finish at the Center for Automotive Research’s annual Management Briefing Seminars. The vehicles will cross into Windsor, Ontario before going north to Sarnia, Ontario and return back into Michigan. The demonstration drive allows Continental and Magna, as we
August 1, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Two automated driving vehicles will travel more than 300 miles before arriving in Traverse City, Michigan, US as part of an international border demonstration by 260 Continental and 5026 Magna International. The demonstration will start in southeast Michigan and finish at the Center for Automotive Research’s annual Management Briefing Seminars.


The vehicles will cross into Windsor, Ontario before going north to Sarnia, Ontario and return back into Michigan. The demonstration drive allows Continental and Magna, as well as the 1688 Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO), to test automated driving technology in a variety of settings.

Using Continental’s Cruising Chauffeur function, the vehicles will be able to take over driving tasks on various roads in accordance with traffic regulations. Once Cruising Chauffeur is activated, data analysed in the Assisted and Automated Driving Control Unit (ADCU) central control unit is used to generate a 360-degree model of the vehicle’s surroundings. In combination with a high-resolution map, the system recognises all moving and static objects, as well as the layout of the road ahead.

The drive aims to demonstrate how the vehicles’ multiple camera, radar and LiDAR sensors will interact while being driven through the concrete Detroit-Windsor Tunnel and across the steel Blue Water Bridge.

To mark the event as the latest example of partnerships in the Great Lakes region, MDOT and OMT will sign a memorandum of understanding at the drive’s completion to further promote and foster growth of connected and autonomous technology testing and deployment, supporting both Michigan and Ontario’s economic interests and technological advancements by enabling job-creating growth for both jurisdictions.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • First Swiss AV takes to the roads
    May 15, 2015
    Switzerland is testing its first autonomous vehicle (AV) on the streets of Zurich. Developed in cooperation with Swiss telecommunications group Swisscom, the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (UVEK) and Germany’s Autonomos Labs, the heavily modified VW Passat has been equipped with sensors, computers and software. The computer system drives, steers and brakes the vehicle autonomously and detects other vehicles and pedestrians by means of laser scanners, radar and vid
  • Sorting myth from reality in vehicle automation
    June 2, 2016
    Bob Denaro looks beyond the hype surrounding autonomous vehicles to the challenges that still need to be overcome. Automated vehicles (AVs) may be the perfect storm – in a positive way - with the automobile manufacturers, the government and consumers all embracing the emergence of a transformational new technology and product.
  • Viewpoint on the 2015 ITS World Congress
    September 10, 2014
    The next ITS World Congress will be held in stunning Bordeaux, France, from 5 – 9 October, 2015. Didier Gorteman, Ertico - ITS Europe, chair of the organising committee, explains how the event is shaping up. Q The theme of next year’s ITS World Congress in Bordeaux is “Towards intelligent mobility – Better use of space”. Could you give an overview of how this theme will shape the event? A The EPC chose this theme together with the host organisations. With the word space we want to make a link to space
  • Big data, virtualisation to dominate smart transportation says ABI Research
    January 6, 2015
    ABI Research’s latest report, Smart Transportation Market Research, covers ITS data, physical roadside transportation infrastructure virtualisation technologies and a systems approach to transportation management, as well as relevant connectivity, analytics, cloud platform, security and identity technologies. Traditional smart transportation approaches to address traffic congestion, safety, pollution, and other urbanisation challenges are expected to hit scalability and efficiency obstacles by the end of