With Cortex, Land Rover Takes Self-Driving Cars Off-Roading

Land Rover builds cars with two principles in mind: off-road capability and in-car comfiness. When you buy a Range Rover or Discovery, you're paying for a vehicle that can clamber over boulder-strewn trails and give you a back massage at the same time. So it shouldn't be surprising that last week the automaker announced it is developing the ultimate combination of these qualities: self-driving cars that can go off-road. The $5 million project, called Cortex, will give customers "autonomous cars capable of all-terrain, off-road driving in any weather condition." Now, these won't be Robo Rovers that can plow through streams and scramble over hulking tree roots--at least not anytime soon.