Honda says it will launch Level 3 autonomous cars

TOKYO -- Honda has received type approval in Japan to sell vehicles with Level 3 "eyes off" autonomous driving technology.

The automaker said it plans to launch sales of Legend sedan equipped with the newly approved automated driving equipment by March 31, 2021. 

The approval from the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism enables the system to drive the vehicle instead of the driver under certain conditions, such as when the vehicle is in congested traffic on expressway, Honda said in a statement on Wednesday.

When driving environment conditions become unsatisfactory, the system will issue a warning, and the driver must take over the driving immediately, Honda said.

The race to build self-driving cars is a key technology battleground for automakers, with technology companies such as Google parent Alphabet also investing billions of dollars in a field expected to boost car sales.

There are six levels of vehicle autonomy, from 0 to 5, ranging from cars with no driving assistance features to vehicles with simple functions such as cruise control to fully self-driving cars that would not need steering wheels, or brake and acceleration pedals.

Level 2 cars, which are currently on public roads, can control their own speed and steering, but must have an alert driver able to take control at all times. In July, Tesla said it was "very close" to achieving Level 5 autonomous driving.

Mercedes-Benz has said it will introduce Level 3 functions in its new S-Class sedan starting in mid-2021, if it gets regulatory approval.

Reuters contributed to this report