THE NEWEST RELEASE OF A CAR THAT DRIVES ITSELF!!!

Car that drives itself – but Tesla Model S drivers told 'keep your hands on the wheel'

MOTORING is a step nearer the car that drives itself today with some Tesla Model S owners now able to download a software update that gives the car the ability to drive autonomously.

Cars built within the last year - around 60,000 in total - have been fitted with a dozen sensors, advanced GPS navigation, image-recognition cameras and radar that will work with the new software to enable the Model S to automatically steer between lane markings, change lanes and parallel park.

The software update, called Autopilot, is currently only available in the US, at a cost of $2,500. There's no regulatory approval for its use in the UK at the moment.

Tesla is telling drivers that even if they download the version 7.0 software, they still need to concentrate and retain control of the car at all times. Alerts from the car will remind drivers to do so if the

steering wheel doesn't detect a human hand on it. In addition, he cameras, sensors of software could still be hampered by rain, snow, dirt or fog, so it's fare from foolproof yet.

Tesla founder and chief executive Elon Musk said: "We are advising drivers to keep their hands on the wheel, just in case. It's very important that people exercise caution because the software is very new.

"It should not hit pedestrians, hopefully. It can see and sense cyclists and pedestrians. It should brake before hitting them... [But] I wouldn't want to say today, don't worry about it."

Autopilot is switched on by tapping the cruise control button to the left side of the steering wheel twice. To change lanes, the driver engages the indicator and the car navigates between vehicles next to it.

A new dashboard display also displays the car's position in relation to other vehicles, flashing yellow when something is detected.

It's very important that people exercise caution because the software is very new

Elon Musk, Tesla founder and chief executive

"It's a real boon in high-traffic situations," Musk said. "In slow-moving, gridlocked traffic you can turn on Autopilot and it works super well - almost to the point where you can take your hands off. Some

people may - we don't advise that."

The independent carmaker is attempting to beat not only the traditional car manufacturers but also tech companies such as Google and Apple to be the first to launch a completely autonomous car. There are some

self-driving capabilities on cars currently on the market, such as the Volvo XC90 and Mercedes-Benz S-Class, but Musk said that Tesla's advantage over rivals is that its cars can collect and share data between cars, via a wireless connection to a central database.

"The big differentiator here is that the whole Tesla fleet operates as a network," Musk said. "When one car learns something, the whole fleet learns it... It should get better with each passing day."