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

  • Continental invests in EasyMile, pushes ahead with autonomous vehicles
    July 5, 2017
    Technology company Continental has agreed to acquire a minority share French autonomous shuttle manufacturer EasyMile and the companies plan to cooperate closely in the development of environmental sensors, braking systems and driving safety technologies.
  • Voice recognition still a top problem says report
    August 12, 2014
    Speaking in a presentation at the annual Management Briefing Seminars of the Center for Automotive Research, held in Traverse City, Michigan, Kristin Kolodge, J.D. Power’s executive director of driver interaction claimed that in-car voice recognition systems work so poorly that automakers should give up trying to add new features and go back to the basics. According to the consulting firm’s annual Initial Quality Study of vehicle models sold in the United States, voice activation was identified as the mo
  • Continental launches new connected vehicle technologies
    August 19, 2016
    Continental will be presenting several examples of its new applications and services for handling performance, vehicle management, logistics, and automated driving at this year's International Motor Show Commercial Vehicles (IAA Commercial Vehicles) in Hanover. These include the ContiPressureCheck system which monitors the pressure and temperature of all tires consistently, even while driving, and the dynamic eHorizon, a sensor system that supplies vehicles with real-time information, which allows the h
  • FHWA collaborative framework on automated driving systems: an explainer
    September 26, 2023
    USDoT FHWA has put together a collaborative framework to help secure the roll-out of automated driving systems in the US. John Harding of FHWA explains the thinking…