Hyundai Genesis is practically autonomous on ‘Empty Car Convoy’ (video)

As a pitch for many of the driver assist features on the new Hyundai Genesis, Hyundai has produced a video of an ‘Empty Car Convoy’ to demonstrate.

The new Hyundai Genesis is a proper poke by the Koreans at the big, luxury end of the car market, and as such it comes equipped with plenty of luxury features and high-end technology.

So with a new Genesis to promote, Hyundai thought it would be a bit of a wheeze to demonstrate just how good many of the driver assist technologies are on the new Genesis, to the point where it is capable (with a bit of fiddling) of being autonomous and safe.

Hyundai lined up a convoy of six stunt drivers in the new Genesis saloon at their test track in the Mojave Desert, engaged adaptive cruise, lane hold and automatic emergency braking and set it off round the test track.

Once the convoy gets going, the stunt drivers in the back five cars crawl out on to the roof and jump on to a truck. The lead stunt driver – Buddy Joe Hooker (no, we didn’t know who he was either, but apparently he’s well-known) – remains in the lead car, blindfolded and with his arms folded, as the truck then moves in front of the progressing convey and brakes hard, as, thankfully, the convey behind does too – autonomously.

All Hyundai had to do to make this all work with just the systems already available on the Genesis was over-ride the timer for the lane-hold. Which is impressive.

It’s a good demonstration  of just how effective driver assist technology now is, but there’s apparently no truth in the rumour that Hyundai’s UK PR team are insisting the lane-hold timer is disabled on their company cars immediately so makeup and hair can be done en-route to work.

But if you do happen to see a Hyundai travelling along the M40 or M25 near High Wycombe with a driver distracted by their appearance, fear not – the rumour was true, but they’re perfectly safe.

We hope.