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Automobile manufacturers are hoping for greater security of regulators and drivers relating to semi-autonomous elements in cars that can stop, accelerate and steer themselves with aplomb.

The Frankfurt Auto Show witnessed the showcasing of Ford’s new feature that enables drivers to pre-set vehicles to go at or a little above any particular speed limit. This is enabled by car cameras that react to and read signs on roads, thereby slowing or speeding up the car as required. This Active Speed Limited will be made available on specific models in Europe but has not been made available in the United States.

There has been considerable progress in terms of semi-autonomy which helps combat burdensome driving situations. Several car companies are now battling to come up with the most innovative and advanced automotive features. Automobile makers are hoping that regulators and drivers will finally get over their safety fears related to cars that have acceleration, stoppage and steering capabilities. Car makers are on a mission to enable convenient and hassle free driving for customers and they wish greater profitability for these vehicles too. The Active Speed Limiter currently comes at around 560 euros or $602.78 and mixed signals have been received till date.

Companies that are profiting are those that are producing cameras, software and electronic sensors to bolster self driving capabilities. Some of these include Google, Samsung, Apple, Sony, Continental AG and Mobileye Vision Technologies. Even the 2014 Mercedes Benz S-Class came with traffic jam assistance and the Intelligent Drive system is now widespread across the entire line up, enabling automated driving at lower speeds in traffic jams and helping drivers avoid continual braking. Similar features are expected to be unveiled by Honda, BMW and Hyundai soon. Tesla Motors set the cat amongst the pigeons by downloading several autopilot features to new car models similar to software updates being downloaded on tablets or smartphones.

Several car companies are now introducing vehicles with distance warning, cruise control, blind spot information systems, driver alerts, anti skid, parking assist and lane keeping aids. Ford has also introduced automated perpendicular or straight-in parking for a few selected car models. This enables self parking in tight situations with pull-out features through Active Park Assist. Self parking is also present in the BMW 7 series sedan even if nobody is inside the car. Drivers simply need to push the key fob button to initiate the process. Google’s self driving car system will probably witness a 2020 launch and the company is in talks with several car companies for the same.