Cars New

Things appear to be going well inside Nissans autonomous vehicle development program. Until now, the automaker believed that self-driving cars would be ready for major markets like the US by 2020. However, Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn is now speeding up that prediction to 2018 in some places, assuming that local laws are ready to accept the computer-controlled vehicles.

"The problem isnt technology, its legislation, and the whole question of responsibility that goes with these cars moving around," said Ghosn in a speech in France recorded by Reuters. He predicted that the first sales could begin in France, Japan and the US by 2018 and expand elsewhere in 2020.

The alliance has been among the forefront of automakers working on self-driving cars. Nissan has an autonomous Leaf (pictured above) test car that is licensed to drive on Japanese roads. Renault showed off an version of its Zoe EV earlier this year called the Next Two, that could pilot itself at speeds up to 18 miles per hour, and that the company predicted would be ready by 2020.

Governments are still deciding how to treat the new technology, though. The California DMV just released a detailed list of rules governing autonomous vehicle testing on public roads. It seems astonishing that the nation could be just four years away from the first self-driving cars finding their way to consumers.

Chinese economic policies could be in for a big change, as President Xi Jinping pushes the communist country to open its domestic markets even further. That could mean big things for the auto industry, especially when it comes to the countrys far-reaching joint-venture system.

According to Chinese law, foreign automakers may only maintain a fifty-fifty partnership with their domestic counterparts. But with Jinpings push for openness leading to potential free-trade deals, that policy could be relaxed (or eradicated all together) in short order. Whats an automaker to do?

Well, in BMWs case, stay the course. Automotive News Europe reports that, despite the grumblings about the JV policy changes, the German manufacturer has resigned its agreement with Brilliance through 2028. This is made doubly remarkable by the fact that BMW signed the extension over three years before it was set to expire.

Prevailing logic says thats because these joint ventures allow foreign automakers to operate boots-on-the-ground manufacturing operations that can help drive sales inside the PRC. For BMW, thats key to becoming the top dog in Chinas booming luxury market, notes Automotive News Europe.

BMW isnt the only manufacturer thats extended its partnership for the extended future. Volkswagen inked a deal with its partners in 2012 that will run through the next two decades.

That still leaves a huge number of manufacturers with partnerships up in the air, though. What do you think manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz and General Motors will do if given the option to increase their stake, stage a takeover or divorce from their joint venture partners? Have your say in Comments.