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LONDON: The British government is the first country to announce that it would allow the use of self-driving vehicles at slow speeds on motorways, with the first such cars possibly appearing on public roads as soon as this year.
The Transport Ministry said on Wdnsday it was working on specific wording to update the country s highway code for the safe use of self-driving vehicle systems, starting with Automated Lane Keeping Systems (ALKS) which use sensors and software to keep cars within a lane, allowing them to accelerate and brake without driver input.
The government said the use of ALKS would be restricted to motorways, at speeds under 37 miles (60 kilometres) per hour.
UK output rises nearly 50% in March after COVID-19 hit rebound
Production still remains below average, industry group says
Reuters
Production of the Range Rover at Jaguar Land Rover s plant in Solihull, England.
LONDON British car production rose by 47 percent in March compared to the same time last year when factories halted output midway through due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Volumes stood at 115,498 cars last month, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Output was always going to be up but it remains below average, with some 11 billion pounds ($15 billion) worth of production lost over the past year, SMMT CEO Mike Hawes said.
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BMW is set to temporarily close its Plant Oxford Mini production line after the premium car manufacturer becomes the latest casualty of a global shortage of semiconductor microchips.
News of the temporary shutdown follows last weekâs announcement of a two-week closure of Jaguar Land Roverâs Halewood and Castle Bromwich plants, which produce its Jaguar XE, XF and F-Type and Land Rover Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque.
Ford has also been forced to order the temporary closure of its Dagenham diesel engine production plant and its Halewood gearbox facility, while Nissan has adjusted production schedules at its Sunderland plant because due to the same crisis.
April 29, 2021 08:16
The U.K. government on Wednesday became the first country to announce it will regulate the use of self-driving vehicles at slow speeds on motorways, with the first such cars possibly appearing on public roads as soon as this year.
Britain s transport ministry said it was working on specific wording to update the country s highway code for the safe use of self-driving vehicle systems, starting with Automated Lane Keeping Systems (ALKS) which use sensors and software to keep cars within a lane, allowing them to accelerate and brake without driver input. The government said the use of ALKS would be restricted to motorways, at speeds under 37 miles (60 km) per hour.
European Markets Close Weak
BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - European markets closed slightly weak on Thursday, with most of the markets losing ground towards the end of the session.
Investors were reacting to the Federal Reserve s monetary policy announcement, and tracking a slew of earnings reports and economic data for direction.
The pan European Stoxx 600 ended lower by 0.26%. Germany s DAX shed 0.9%, while The U.K. s FTSE 100 and France s CAC 40 edged down by 0.03% and 0.07%, respectively. Switzerland s SMI drifted down 0.22%.
Among other markets in Europe, Belgium, Denmark, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Russia and Sweden ended weak.
Austria, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Turkey closed higher, while Czech Republic, Finland and Greece ended flat.