audi rs7 pilotless

A driverless Audi RS7 Sportback is set to make a track run on the Hockenheim at race speed this weekend, and the automaker says that the RS7 piloted driving concept will be able to traverse the course about as fast as an example with a professional race driver behind the wheel.

The run, to be held as a sideshow event during the final German Touring Car Championship (DTM) race, will see the autonomous RS7 go around the circuit in a demo lap at speeds of up to 240 km/h. Tests conducted so far indicate that on the track, a lap time of just over two minutes can be expected.

No details about the pilotless RS7, but it should feature the 560 hp and 700 Nm 4.0 litre TFSI V8 as found on the regular car. The autonomous lap will be broadcast live via the company's Audi MediaTV Internet channel at 12.45 pm CEST (6.45 pm Malaysian time) on October 19.

The company is no stranger to such driving showcases - in 2009, a pilotless Audi TTS managed to achieve a world record speed for autonomous driving, reaching 209 km/h on the Bonneville Salt Flats in the US. A year later, the car completed the Pikes Peak run in around 27 minutes.