The future of motoring: it's automated - When will we drive an automated car?

How long will it be before automated cars could cope with urban environments?

Mueller-Bessler says: 'Prediction is just a very rough guess. In the 1970s, people guessed that we'd be driving automated cars in the year 2000.

'It depends on several things, such as detection of the environment, legal status and perhaps the construction of special streets for autonomous cars.'

Shinohara reckons it will still be decades before automation is possible away from the motorway, however. 'Of course it is possible, but it will take a long, long time to make it reality - 10 or 20 years or more.'

Don't hold your breath.