China's grandees may soon find themselves chauffeured in limos navigated by the people's microchips. A Chinese car company recently tested a luxury model that can recognize its enviroment, and handle such driver-intensive tasks as making a turnoff, stopping at street crossings, staying within roadway lines and complimenting passengers on their glorious factories (with a little extra programming). The driverless car, a Hongqi HQ3 built by China's First Auto Works, topped out at around 37 mph, but the company says it can go over 90 without becoming confused. We'd just as soon leave trying that out to the grandees.

Look Out: Chinese Send Unmanned Vehicle Onto Streets [Edmunds]

Related:
Homage or Ripoff? Chinese Cars that Swing Something Else; Golf, Drive Thyself: Volkswagen Builds Self-Driving Hatchback [internal]