Nissan picks London for first European on-road autonomous
car tests
Japanese carmaker Nissan (7201.T) said it will conduct its first
European real-world trials of self-driving cars in London, choosing Britain
just months after it said it would build two new models in the country despite
concerns over Brexit.The government has said it wants to encourage the
development and testing of autonomous driving technology in Britain, helping
build an industry to serve a worldwide market it reckons could be worth around
900 billion pounds ($1.1 trillion) by 2025.On Friday Nissan said a modified version of its compact electric
LEAF car equipped with autonomous driving technology will be tested in the
capital next month, the first such demonstrations on European public roads."With future models secured and cutting-edge innovation
being developed right here in the UK, we’re looking forward to a strong future
of designing, engineering and manufacturing in the country for customers right
across the world," said Nissan Europe Chairman Paul Willcox.In October the firm, which builds around a third of Britain's
total car output, said it would expand production at its plant in northeast
England with what a source described as a government promise of extra support
to counter any loss of competitiveness caused by Britain's EU exit.(Reporting by Costas Pitas; Editing by Greg Mahlich)
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