Google’s self-driving car has been pulled by police… for driving too slow

If you feared the autonomous era would be marked by self-driving cars hurtling breakneck across cities as their occupants clung helplessly on, think again. Autonomous cars, it seems, are cautious in the extreme.

Google has admitted one of its self-driving cars was stopped on a public road near its Californian campus, not for exceeding the speed limit, but for driving at 24mph in 35mph zone. Google’s self-driving cars are limited to 25mph for ‘safety reasons’.

It’s an offence in California to drive ‘at such a slow speed as to impede or block the normal and reasonable movement of traffic’, so Mountain View traffic officers – presumably with no small measure of confusion – stopped the driverless car for a quick chat.

“The officer […] made contact with the operators to learn more about how the car was choosing speed along certain roadways and to educate the operators about impending traffic,” revealed Mountain View’s police department.

Whether the cop threw in an extra caution for the pod-car ‘looking a bit smug’ remains unclear.

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Revealed: Bugatti’s new super-sports car will decimate all other super-sports cars

When do we get it: Some time in 2016.

What we say: “That Bugatti is readying a Son Of Veyron comes as no surprise. That it’ll attempt to outgun its hypercar predecessor in every regard is rather punchier. After all, it had been considered the Chiron – if that is indeed its name – might sacrifice ultimate v-max aspirations in favour of more accessible day-to-day performance.

“Not so, says Durheimer. The next Bugatti will be Veyron, only more so.

“’The new car delivers everything much better than the previous one,’ says Durheimer. ‘It will be the best super-sports car on the planet.’”

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Revealed: Lamborghini’s rear-wheel-drive Huracan supercar

When do we get it: 2016, with prices starting at €150,000 (plus tax)

What we say: “The 5.2-litre V10 has been slightly detuned to produce 572bhp and 398lb ft of torque - hello, McLaren 570S - though Lamborghini assures us that 75 per cent of that 398lb ft is available from as little as 1,000rpm. Punchy.

“It’s managed through a seven-speed dual clutch gearbox with launch control, and is capable of accelerating from 0-62mph in 3.4s, just two tenths slower than the four-wheel-drive, 602bhp Huracan. Top speed? 199mph – again, just a fraction off the more powerful Huracan’s Vmax.”

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Revealed: Porsche’s new track-only Cayman GT4 Clubsport

When do we get it: Next year, for the princely sum of €110,000 plus tax.

What we say: “The new Clubsport features the same Carrera S-derived 3.8-litre flat-six, just like the road-going GT4 – which is a sublime, sublime thing don’t forget – producing the same 380bhp and 310lb ft of torque.

“Except here it’s not fed through a manual gearbox, but a six-speed double-clutcher (with paddles on the steering wheel, naturally). The front axle is lifted from the 911 GT3 Cup, as is the lightweight rear strut suspension setup. Throw in a mechanical, locking rear diff and you’ve got yourself something Serious.”

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Revealed: Bentley planning two new models, one of which could be a 500bhp electric supercar

When do we get it: Um, hopefully at some point in the near future. Because neither of them exist. Yet.

What we say: “Bentley is exploring a 500bhp, all-electric two-seat sports car. According to CEO Wolfgang Durheimer, it’s one of two options on the table for the Crewe firm’s next offering, following the imminent launch of the big Bentayga SUV.

“The first option, said Durheimer, is “one taking the very best of Bentayga, and making an even more performance-enhanced version”. That’s the X6-style SUV-coupe we’ve told you about before, a Bentayga with a lower roof and, most likely, even more power and a sharper chassis. Sheesh.

“The other option? A production version of the lovely Speed 6 sports car, revealed in concept form at Geneva earlier this year.”

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