Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Before Tesla: Honda Legend Offer Level 3 Autonomous Driving

Before Tesla: Honda Legend Offer Level 3 Autonomous Driving

Level 3 autonomy will be offered in a production car in Japan in 2021. Eyes-off driving with Honda's Traffic Jam Pilot raises the stakes in the autonomy race.

Honda says it's going to offer Level 3 autonomy in the next-gen Legend sedan, and has already received the type designation from the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).

This approval enables the automated driving system to drive the vehicle instead of the driver under certain conditions, such as when the vehicle is in congested traffic on expressway," the automaker said in a statement. "Honda is planning to launch sales of a Honda Legend equipped with the newly approved automated driving equipment ('Traffic Jam Pilot') before the end of the current fiscal year (Ending March 31, 2021)."

What Honda calls Traffic Jam Pilot means the sedan can perform driving tasks including lane changes, acceleration and braking, allowing drivers to take their eyes off the road. But the system still requires them to be able to assume control when needed. The Legend will be the first car in Japan the MLIT has certified for Level 3 operation, making this an important milestone for the automaker and for Japan.



Does this mean we'll get Level 3 autonomy in the next-gen Acura RLX?

Not at all, unfortunately, because the RLX is leaving the U.S. due to slow sales, as midsize and large sedans have all suffered a decline in demand starting in the second half of the previous decade. But, this does not rule out Honda or Acura offering a Level 3 system in other vehicles in the States in the near future, even though the automaker has been notably quiet on the subject of autonomy in the recent past.

The Honda Legend joins a relatively small club of vehicles offering various types of autonomous driving. Cadillac's Super Cruise, for example, is still considered a Level 2 system, while Tesla Autopilot is Level 2 as well. Of course, Tesla's limited roll-out of what it calls Full Self Driving has created plenty of controversy about its safety and classification, but one thing that's clear is its requirement of keeping alert to monitor the road technically places it below the formal definition of Level 3 systems, no matter what Tesla chooses to call it.

That's the distinction between Level 2 and Level 3 here: Honda's system will not require the driver to stay alert to monitor the road and all the features, but might request the driver to take over when needed.



And what about Tesla?


Tesla autonomous driving is only on tests and development phase, one or 2 years before regulators approval.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
×