We're still not sure why BMW wants to take away the fun of drifting from humans, but alas they are aiming to with their self-drifting M235i. So to test the technology out, they coined the "Ultimate Drift Challenge" by pitting the car against Formula Drift champ Dai Yoshihara.
This is merely the teaser for the video, with no details of when the actual video will release. We're guessing (and hoping) Dai tears the machine apart for the sake of the entire drift community.
It's hard to believe, but Google's secretive self-driving car project might be the future of passenger cars. Olds think it's "cute", moms love it because they can pay more attention to their kids, and blind people can get around easier.
Google finally let regular ol' citizens give their self-driving cars a "test drive" in Mountain View, California and people seemed to genuinely love the car. Yes, this certainly has the potential to improve road safety and help give autonomy back to people who cannot drive. Auto enthusiasts will be less excited. Self-driving vehicles go slower and take away the freedom that is part of the inherent appeal of driving. Human-driven cars aren't going anywhere anytime soon. People who love driving are still going to do it, but it will be really interesting to see how these self-driving cars affect the future of transportation.
Audi's new driverless car is no Google self-driving car. The RS7 packs a mean punch with 560 horses powered by a twin-turbocharged V8. This past weekend Audi showed off the RS7 driving itself at Germany's Hockenheimring track. Not only was it flawless, the livestream of the self-driving test actually crashed Audi's website because it was so popular.
Using a series of sensors, cameras, and GPS to properly drive the car, it may be one of the most accurate driverless cars to have ever been built. For some weird reason though, the test model was named "Bobby." But inevitably that didn't really matter, because the RS7 hit speeds of 140mph on the track—perfect for the Autobahn.
Check out the highlights video and a GIF below of Audi's new RS7 driverless car.
Ask anyone who has ever drifted a car why they do it and they will most likely tell you one important reason: fun. Sliding sideways, testing your precision driving skills, pushing the limits of ridiculously powerful cars and your driving skills; these are why people drift cars. Which is why it's so puzzling to see BMW show off its new M235i at the Consumer Electronics Show this week. The new 2-series car can drift itself. The driver just sits there. It might be fun for the car, but we can't see the person behind the wheel getting much excitement out of it. Although we must admit, the idea of a driverless BMW competing in Formula Drift is kind of intriguing.
Image courtesy of BMW
