Kia Promises a Self-Drive Car By 2030 at CES 2016

Kia is promising to bring a self-driving car to the public by the year 2030.

Kia plans to produce autonomous cars by the year 2030. (Photo: Kia)

Kia is promising to bring a self-driving car to the public by 2030, a decade longer than some companies have promised but perhaps a more realistic time frame.

At the CES gadget show in Las Vegas, Kia also said it will introduce a partially autonomous car by 2020. The car will still need a human behind the wheel. The Korean automaker, which is owned by Hyundai, has also received a license from Nevada to test an autonomous Kia Soul electric vehicle on public roads.

Seung Ho Hwang, executive vice president of Hyundai Motor Group’s Vehicle IT Development Center, talks about autonomous vehicle plans during a Kia news conference at the 2016 CES trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada January 5, 2016. (Photo: Reuters)

Also Read: Volvo is Developing Intelligent Media Streaming For its Cars.

Tech giant Google has promised to have a self-driving car in the public’s hands by 2020 and other automakers have hinted at 2025. But outside experts say the 2020 time frame likely would be limited to small geographic areas because technical, regulatory and legal issues still have to be worked out.

Kia is creating a sub-brand for autonomous technologies called Drive Wise. (Photo: Kia)

Kia is creating a sub-brand for autonomous technologies called Drive Wise. At the CES CES show in Las Vegas this week, the company will show off technologies including highway and urban autonomous driving, as well as the ability to follow the vehicle in front of you. Kia also will show off a system that analyses drivers’ faces to make sure they’re paying attention to the road. If they aren’t, the car will automatically steer to the side of the road and stop.

Also Read: BMW Motorrad Showcases Helmet With Head-up Display at CES 2016.