History Main / AutomatedAutomobiles

** Though the ''Film/Batman1989'' and ''Film/BatmanReturns'' Batmobile can be controlled via simple voice commands, when driving itself it appears to have AI that can make specific navigational decisions without user input.

** Though the ''Film/Batman1989'' and ''Film/BatmanReturns'' Batmobile can be controlled via simple voice commands, when driving itself it appears to have AI that can make specific navigation decisions without user input.

** Though the ''Film/Batman1989'' and ''Film/BatmanReturns'' Batmobile can be controlled via simple voice commands, when driving it appears to have AI that can make specific navigation decisions by itself.

* In ''Film/TheLoveBug'' movies, Herbie the VW Beetle goes exactly where he wants to, sometimes with helpless passengers trapped inside. [[spoiler:There’s others in the subsection installments - his Beetle army; made up of all the sentient ones in San Francisco; plus Giselle the Lancia Scorpion, [[EvilKnockoff Horace the Hate Bug]], and the unnamed yellow and black Beetle]].

* The Batmobile in ''Film/TheDarkKnight''.

* In ''Film/TheLoveBug'' movies, Herbie goes exactly where it wants to, sometimes with helpless passengers trapped inside.

** Also, [[PsychoPrototype KARR]], a villainous version.

* The titular ''Wonder-Bug'' (a magical dune buggy) from the Krofft Supershow.

* In the future presented in ''Film/{{Logan}}'', freight truck transportation is entirely automated. There isn't even a cabin at front. They have proximity sensors that beep everytime other cars get too close.

* In ''Film/DemolitionMan'', all 2030s vehicles have autopilots, though manual is still an option. It becomes a plot point when one of the cops is the only one that can drive a stick-shift (but not well) because she watches a lot of old movies. It also leads to a darkly funny OhCrap moment when the police cruiser John is riding([[OutsideRide at the moment]]) takes damage while pursuing Phoenix; the autopilot engages and refuses to disengage even though he can clearly see that it's over a dozen seconds away from crashing if it won't turn or brake. Luckily, the car's safety features are better than the autopilot.

This trope refers to the operation of vehicles - not just cars - on public highways, where the vehicle has no human operating it. Might require AdvancedPhlebotinum to explain how they can get away with it. This trope would not include vehicles operated by video remote control unless it can operate without the person running the screen, nor would it usually include a vehicle running automated on a test track. The trope is more about driverless vehicles on public highways.

** Also, KARR, a villainous version.

* The "Glory Days" flashback sequence in ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' briefly shows the Incredicar driving itself while Mr. Incredible changes into costume.
** In the ''WesternAnimation/Incredibles2''[[spoiler: the Incredicar makes it's return and has a remote that can summon it, also taking vocal commands from the Parr kids who can't really drive at this point]].

* Kathleen Ann Goonan provides the, if only briefly, driverless taxis of a post-2034 China in ''The Bones of Time''.

* Creator/IsaacAsimov had foreseen much of the controversy around robotic cars in his short story ''Sally'', back in 1953. Of note is the move from privately owned cars to transportation as service via robo-cabs. Asimov blamed it on the cost of automatics, though - while we would do it due to rising costs and decreasing convenience of car ownership, parking, and maintenance.

** In [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E20BartOnTheRoad "Bart On The Road"]], Bart and his friends rent a car. Bart, who was driving, climbs into the back seat explaining, "Cruise control." It goes pretty much as you would expect. Homer makes the same mistaken about Flanders' car in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS12E8SkinnersSenseOfSnow "Skinner's Sense Of Snow"]].

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** In ''[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS10E17MaximumHomerdrive Maximum Homer drive]]'', Homer discovers that long-distance truckers secretly allow a computer to do the driving. When the computer finds that Homer has the truck on a collision course with no room to brake and is not the original driver, the computer itself ''escapes the truck''.
** And the ShowWithinAShow seen in ''[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS6E13AndMaggieMakesThree And Maggie Makes Three]]'', ''Knight Boat'' (a parody of ''Series/KnightRider'').

--->'''Lenny''': Hey, look! Homer's got one of those robot cars!
--->''[A loud offscreen crash is heard]''
--->'''Carl''': One of those ''[[TakeThat American]]'' robot cars!
** In ''[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E20BartOnTheRoad Bart On The Road]]'', Bart and his friends rent a car. Bart, who was driving, climbs into the back seat explaining, "Cruise control." It goes pretty much as you would expect.
** Likewise, Homer thinks Flanders' car is one of these in ''[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS12E8SkinnersSenseOfSnow Skinner's Sense Of Snow]]'' when he sees it has cruise control.
** Elon Musk gives them to the population of Springfield in ''[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS26E12TheMuskWhoFellFromEarth The Musk Who Fell From Earth]]''. He even gives Arnie Pie an automated helicopter.
** Homer gets a job testing these in ''Baby, You Can't Drive My Car'' but finds that they [[BigBrotherIsWatching monitor passenger conversations]] and then drive to the site of relative businesses that are bribing the car company.

--->'''Carl''': [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments One of those]] ''[[TakeThat American]]'' [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments robot cars]]!

** In ''WesternAnimation/Incredibles2''[[spoiler: the Incredicar makes it's return and has a remote that can summon it, also taking vocal commands from the Parr kids who can't really drive at this point]].

** Jay Ward, the creative director of ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars3}}'' believes that they're all robot cars that rebelled and wiped humanity out years ago.