Nissan Will Expand ProPilot Assist to Additional Models

The next U.S.-market model to get ProPilot Assist will be the Rogue Sport, Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa said during the automaker's 2017 fiscal results announcement. While it shares a name with the larger Rogue, the Rogue Sport is actually a rebadged Nissan Qashqai, one of the automaker's bestsellers in Europe. The model will also get ProPilot Assist in Canada, where it is also badged as the Qashqai.

ProPilot Assist will be available on the U.S-market Rogue Sport and Canadian-market Qashqai beginning in late 2018, Saikawa said. After that, the next model to get the system will likely be the redesigned 2019 Altima. Nissan confirmed that the new Altima will be offered with ProPilot Assist, but did not say if the system will be available at the midsize sedan's launch later this year.

Nissan launched ProPilot Assist in 2016 on the Japanese-market Serena minivan. It's also currently available on European-market versions of the Qashqai, and the Japanese-market X-Trail crossover. The system essentially pairs adaptive cruise control with a limited amount of automated steering, allowing a car to keep itself centered in its lane during highway driving with minimal human intervention. Nissan does require drivers to hold the steering wheel and remain alert while ProPilot Assist is activated.

Proliferation of ProPilot Assist is part of Nissan's "M.O.V.E. to 2022" business plan, which also includes an influx of new hybrids and electric cars. Nissan hopes to sell one million electrified models, including both hybrids and all-electric cars by 2022, and expects electrified models to make up 20 to 30 percent of its U.S. sales by 2025. Fully-autonomous cars are also expected to fit into Nissan's future plans.