History Main / AutomatedAutomobiles

** Parodied in ''[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E16HomerLovesFlanders Homer Loves Flanders]]'': Homer accepts going to a big football game with Flanders. While they are driving trough the stadium parking lot, Homer spots Lenny and Carl, and makes Flanders duck so they won't see him with Homer, despite Flanders being the one ''driving''. Thus Lenny and Carl see Homer waving at them from the passenger seat of a "driverless" car...

** 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 mistake about Flanders' car in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS12E8SkinnersSenseOfSnow "Skinner's Sense Of Snow"]].
** 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.

* Johnny Cab in ''Film/TotalRecall1990'', an automated taxi driven by a crude robot upper body on a swivel pedestal, programmed with simplistic mannerisms like whistling or comments like "Hell of a day, isn't it?" or "Hope you enjoyed the ride!" When Quaid wakes up in one after having his memory wiped at Rekall, it's not very helpful in explaining how he got there. Later when Quaid is fleeing the armed killers who are chasing him, a Johnny Cab doesn't understand Quaid's urgent appeal to "Drive!" because he doesn't provide a specific destination, so Quaid just rips the robot off its pedestal and drives using the joystick. Then after Quaid leaves the Johnny Cab it fuses out and nearly runs him down, crashing into a wall and [[EveryCarIsAPinto exploding]].

* Johnny Cab in ''Film/TotalRecall1990'', an automated taxi driven by a crude robot upper body on a swivel pedestal, programmed with simplistic mannerisms like whistling or comments like "Hell of a day, isn't it?" or "Hope you enjoyed the ride!" When Quaid wakes up in one after having his memory wiped at Rekall, it's not very helpful in explaining how he got there. Later when Quaid is fleeing the armed killers who are chasing him, a Johnny Cab doesn't understand Quaid's urgent appeal to "Drive!" because he doesn't provide a specific destination, so Quaid just rips out the robot off its pedestal and drives using the joystick. Then after Quaid leaves the Johnny Cab it fuses out, nearly runs him down and [[EveryCarIsAPinto explodes]].

* Johnny Cab from the original ''Film/TotalRecall1990''.

* ''Anime/LegendOfGalacticHeroes'': Vehicles in the Alliance capital planet of Heinessen appear to have this function, though drivers can easily switch to manual controls if they so wish.

* ''Webcomic:{{Toonhole}}'': In "[[https://toonhole.com/2017/08/self-driving-car/ Self Driving Car]]", a couple purchases a self-driving car. However, before they can use it, it drives off, has a bottle of beer, and crashes itself into a tree.

* * Happens in the opening of ''Film/{{King of the Rocket Men}}'', the 1949 Republic FilmSerial that kicked off the [[JetPack Rocketman]] character. A scientist gets into his car only to find it's been modified by the [[SinisterSilhouettes shadowy]] [[BigBad Dr. Vulcan]], who uses remote control radio waves to send it off a cliff. The same thing happens to the hero, who of course escapes. The scene is {{Gag Dub}}bed in ''Film/JMenForever'' when the Lightning Bug causes numerous crashes by playing loud rock music.

* In the ''Millennium City'' setting for ''TabletopGame/{{Champions}}'', all cars within the city limits must have Vehicle Control Chips installed and functioning. The cars are driven by a central computer, rather than an onboard system. Presumably, the cars still have regular human controls as well -- the sourcebook states that cars from other areas can enter as long as they have [=VCCs=], and the system is only really in place in Millennium City, so you would be driving manually up to the city, then switching to computer control.
** As the cars in Champions Online 1) have opaque windows, making it impossible to see if anyone is in them, and 2) only exist as indestructible, moving scenery that occasionally bump (harmlessly) a PC or NPC, the point is actually rather moot.
* In the angels-vs-demons game ''TabletopGame/InNomine'', the angels called "kyriotates" specialize in possessing people and animals (benignly). Kyriotates in service to the Archangel of Lightning can also possess machines and have been known to possess cars, to drive their buddies, capture bad guys, and so on.
* In ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'', vehicles are often equipped with bot brains, which (as usual) [[AIIsACrapshoot malfunction]], misunderstand, or [[SecondLawMyAss deliberately screw over]] their passengers with alarming regularity. And the passengers may not be trained in manual control.
--> '''Troubleshooter:''' Why didn't you ''tell'' me we were headed for a collision?
--> '''Flybot:''' You said 'left turn', so I turned left. I suggested maybe we should do something else, but nooo. You were pretty rude about it, too.
* In the ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' universe, automobiles in many of the larger cities become part of the Grid Guide system , which is designed to allow vehicles to traverse traffic in the easiest, most efficient way possible while eliminating the chance for human driving error. In such a way, cars can move at nearly top speed and shift and turn instantly only inches from one another with little risk. The trope differs from normal in that the cars themselves are not automated, but rather are slaved to a traffic management system that directs the cars from a central location.
** The cars are indeed automated; they're just not ''autonomous''.
** There are also references to "road trains" - teams of driverless, cabless freight trucks that link up end-to-end to autonomously traverse the highway network - that have replaced driver-controlled trucks for overland shipping. Driving alongside these massive vehicles can be unnerving, especially if you're unsure whether the corporation that programmed them is inclined to rate the potential cost of accidents more by "how much will it cost us to repair dents and repaint our road train" than by "how many people will die if our road train sideswipes their car"?
* In ''TabletopGame/TranshumanSpace'', everything with computing power (which is ''everything'') runs at the very least a non-sapient AI. Some supplements have suggested it might be illegal for a human to drive a car (especially an [[FlyingCar aircar]]), since they wouldn't have as much awareness as an AI treating the vehicle as a cybershell.
* Downplayed in ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': the Imperium doesn't use AI ever since a RobotUprising millennia ago, so instead they use servitors, lobotomized humans with various cybernetic replacement body parts, who function more or less as autopilots. There's also the question of Machine Spirits, which range from simple automatic systems to full-on sentient entities (one Land Raider went berserk after its entire crew was killed and brutally avenged them) DependingOnTheWriter.

* ''{{Toonhole}}'': In "[[https://toonhole.com/2017/08/self-driving-car/ Self Driving Car]]", a couple purchases a self-driving car. However, before they can use it, it drives off, has a bottle of beer, and crashes itself into a tree.

[[quoteright:350:[[Webcomic/ToonHole https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/toonholecar.png]]]]

Increasingly, this is TruthInTelevision – from simple "guided buses" using [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guided_bus#Optical_Guidance optical guidance]] to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_car fully-robotic self-driving car prototypes]], like the one in the image above. DARPA, Google, multiple major carmakers and even some leading universities have demonstrated functional autonomous cars as of 2013. Meanwhile, autopilots have existed for almost as long as airplanes have, but then there has always been far less chance of crashing into another vehicle while in the air due to there being much more empty space to navigate in.

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[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/220px-Hands-free_Driving_6178.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:220:This is "Junior", a self-driving Volkswagen Passat, at Stanford University.]]

* The Automauto in ''ComicBook/DonaldDuck''. It is an experimental car with a single button on the dashboard. Naturally, Donald climbs in and presses the button, with disastrous results.

* ''[[ComicBook/RobinSeries Robin]]'': Tim's Redbird can drive itself to his location. He's never seen using this when the car is very far away so it's not seen how well it would deal with traffic, which is probably a good thing since it doesn't balk at driving on sidewalks and crashing through glass doors to get to him.

** In some incarnations, the Autobots have used holograms or mannequins to seem like they're avoiding this trope. The first holo-driver was demonstrated by Hound in the [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers original series]], as he was one of the few with holographic capabilities. Motorcycle-bots Prowl (''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'') and Arcee (''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'') project their own holographic rider avatars. In the ''Alliance'' comic series set in the movieverse, Optimus Prime [[ActorAllusion sets his holo-driver to look like]] Creator/PeterCullen.
** In the [[ComicBook/TheTransformers Marvel comics]], Wheeljack installed the aforementioned mannequins so the Autobots could appear to have drivers in vehicle mode. [[UncannyValley They weren't necessarily convincing.]]

* On ''Series/TopGear'', Jeremy supervises a fully automated BMW 330i after it has "learned" the test track, noting that if you really want to terrify yourself, the automation system can be fitted on an M3.

* An episode of ''Series/TheGoodWife'' deals with a car accident involving a self-driving car. Apparently, the car was not supposed to be out on the streets yet, and an employee took it out for a joyride. Despite this, the lead engineer claims that the car's design is perfect and self-learning. In the end, though, it's discovered that some of the employee's programmer friends decided to play a prank on him and hacked the car before he "borrowed" it. Their intention was to mess with the stereo, windows, and other controls for fun, but they accidentally caused the car's breaks to fail at a crucial moment.

* AutomatedAutomobiles are a common theme of real-life {{Zeerust}}. According to [[http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2008/03/24/what-will-life-be-like-in-the-year-2008/ this 1968 article about how life was supposed to be like in 2008]]:

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' had him and his friends attempts to find three {{Power Crystal}}s capable of RewritingReality if placed in a special Reality Gauntlet. One of the gems, which had the power to control life and death, potentially gave life to a space shuttle, which culminated in a chase between Danny and the aggressive aircraft before he removed the gem animating it and returned it back to normal. It and the other two gems were also used by the villain to turn a bunch of train cars into robots.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'', Brock Samson's beloved '69 Charger turned out to have an automated capability among its many spy gadgets, as we found out when it was programmed to turn against him. "Arleen" was one of the few things he was ever sad about killing.
* The "Car Trouble" episode of ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'', there is a self-driving car named '''S'''ystemized '''A'''utomotive '''D'''riving '''I'''ntelligence, or "Sadie".

* ''Literature/ThePlaceInsideTheStorm'': Although manual cars are still found in [=PacNW=], they've been banned years ago in [=CoastSW=].
* ''Literature/HouseOfRobotsRobotRevolution'' introduces the [=SUV=]-[=EX=], or "Soovee", an [=SUV=] that's been outfitted with an [=AI=] that allows it to drive itself. It also comes equipped with movies and video games to keep the passengers entertained. While it does have a steering wheel, it tends to retract it, to the chagrin of Mr. Rodriguez, who actually enjoys driving the car.
* ''Literature/SecretHistories'': The [=CARnivore=]s, which Eddie's narration describes as "sentient, meat-eating cars with attitude" the first time they appear. Supposedly they're either from another dimension, where cars evolved to replace humans, or are ancient predators native to Earth who learned to look like cars so they can prey on humans without being noticed. Either way, they leech the vitality out of normal cars until they malfunction or are sufficiently weakened from metal fatigue, then force the drivers off the road, usually in the early hours of the morning so they won't be noticed, and devour the driver and any passengers (the hoods conceal their mouths, which are full of churning steel teeth). Eddie has to deal with a pack of them early in ''The Man With the Golden Torc''.
* Bill Vargas from ''Literature/MirrorProject'' made his fortune manufacturing self-driving cars, although he never actually used them because he trusted his own driving more than any machine. [[{{Irony}} He was driving when his wife Lynn was killed.]]

* KITT from ''Series/KnightRider'' is probably the TropeCodifier for this trope.
** Also, [[PsychoPrototype KARR]] (the Knight *Automated* Roving Robot), a villainous version.
** Dante, Domino, Beast, Plato, and Kat from ''Series/TeamKnightRider''.
* An episode of ''Series/FXTheSeries'' featured the Vindicator, an automated 4x4 capable of ''arresting criminals''. It was a ShowWithinAShow, and the vehicle was, in fact, remote-controlled.
* The titular ''Wonder-Bug'' (a magical dune buggy) in from the Krofft Supershow.

* On ''Series/TopGear'', Jeremy supervises a fully automated BMW 330i after it has "learned" the test track, noting that if you really want to terrify yourself, the automation system can be fitted on an M3.
* The ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' episode "Driven" involved the autonomous vehicle "Otto". Incidentally, it had also been programmed to kill a human occupant.
* Lightning Cruiser and Storm Blaster from ''Series/PowerRangersTurbo''.
** There was also an evil version in ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'', the MonsterOfTheWeek called the Crabby Cabby. (Not only was it evil and led the Rangers on a chase down the highway with Kimberly, Bulk, and Skull trapped inside it, it was a DeadpanSnarker with the attitude of a stereotypical rude New York cab driver.)
* ''Series/TotalRecall2070'': New York City in 2070 is shown to have an extensive network of automated automobiles to move occupants across town.
* An episode of ''Series/TheGoodWife'' deals with a car accident involving a self-driving car. Apparently, the car was not supposed to be out on the streets yet, and an employee took it out for a joyride. Despite this, the lead engineer claims that the car's design is perfect and self-learning. In the end, though, it's discovered that some of the employee's programmer friends decided to play a prank on him and hacked the car before he "borrowed" it. Their intention was to mess with the stereo, windows, and other controls for fun, but they accidentally caused the car's breaks to fail at a crucial moment.
* An episode of ''Series/{{Bull}}'' starts with a self-driving car with a virtual personality, capable of understanding human speech and even carrying on a conversation, killing its engineer. The engineer's wife sues the company CEO, and Bull decides to help her. [[spoiler:It's revealed that the CFO convinced another engineer to program the car to kill the other one in order to cash in on the company failure]]. Interestingly, it's pointed out that the vehicle's ethics algorithms allow for the possibility of allowing the passenger(s) to die, if that preserves the maximum number of lives in the area. Basically, if there is a fallen tree on the road, and swerving would mean possibly colliding with cars filled with people, the vehicle would make the decision to hit the tree.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Puppet Shows]]

* In the angels-vs-demons game ''TabletopGame/InNomine'', the angels called "kyriotates" specialize in possessing people and animals (benignly). Kyriotates in service to the Archangel of Lightning can also possess machines and have been known to possess cars, to drive their buddies, capture bad guys, and so on,

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'', vehicles are often equipped with bot brains, which (as usual) [[AIIsACrapshoot malfunction]], misunderstand, or [[SecondLawMyAss deliberately screw over]] their passengers with alarming regularity. And the passengers may not be trained in manual control.
--> '''Troubleshooter:''' Why didn't you ''tell'' me we were headed for a collision?
--> '''Flybot:''' You said 'left turn', so I turned left. I suggested maybe we should do something else, but nooo. You were pretty rude about it, too.

* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}''
** In some incarnations, the Autobots have used holograms or mannequins to seem like they're avoiding this trope. The first holo-driver was demonstrated by Hound in the [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers original series]], as he was one of the few with holographic capabilities. Motorcycle-bots Prowl (''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'') and Arcee (''WesternAnimation/TransformersPrime'') project their own holographic rider avatars. In the ''Alliance'' comic series set in the movieverse, Optimus Prime [[ActorAllusion sets his holo-driver to look like]] Creator/PeterCullen.
** In the [[ComicBook/TheTransformers Marvel comics]], Wheeljack installed the aforementioned mannequins so the Autobots could appear to have drivers in vehicle mode. [[UncannyValley They weren't necessarily convincing.]]
** ''Anime/TransformersArmada'': Sideways does this, but slightly differently. Instead of a hologram, the combined and disguised form of his minicons Rook and Crosswise "drives" him.
* Creator/HannaBarbera gave us ''WesternAnimation/WheelieAndTheChopperBunch''.
** As well as ''WesternAnimation/SpeedBuggy''.

* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode ''The Honking'' had the Planet Express crew dealing with the legacy of the accursed Werecar. Said Werecar and its victims, naturally, drove themselves.
* The animated ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' sketch ''Killer Cars'' was about this trope.

* The equally short-lived ''WesternAnimation/PolePosition'' cartoon of the mid-1980s featured ''two'' of these--a classic Mustang look-alike called Wheels, and a retro-futuristic stunt car with gull-wing doors called Roadie.
* Happened at least twice in ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters''. Both times, Ecto-1 was possessed by a malevolent spirit and attacked the Ghostbusters. The first time, it immediately transformed into a monstrous version of itself, but the transformation was much slower and subtler in the second instance; the car spent half the episode screwing with Winston's head before taking off on its own.
** Also happened a third time in ''WesternAnimation/ExtremeGhostbusters'', but Ecto-1 wasn't alone in that instance.
** A possessed VW Bug (that could also become a "mantis ghost") was part of the related toy line.
* C.A.R. from ''WesternAnimation/TheReplacements''.
* ''WesternAnimation/StrokerAndHoop'' had a sentient automated car named C.A.R.R. Although he wasn't always helpful, considering his vengeful, paranoid, somewhat racist, and rather effeminate (although he denies it) personality.

* Used in a Literature/WarlockOfGramarye novel by Christopher Stasheff, the robot brain eventually becomes the property of Rod Gallowglass' family and Rod's faithful servant, ''Fess''.
* Creator/StephenKing's short story ''Literature/{{Trucks}}'' does this with anything automotive, and they don't like humans any more...
** ''Trucks'' was later turned into a movie, ''Film/MaximumOverdrive'', which also features a rather unpleasantly homicidal pop machine.
** Speaking of Creator/StephenKing, the titular car in ''Literature/{{Christine}}'' also has a rather nasty mind of her own...
* In the sci-fi novel (part of Literature/TheNightsDawnTrilogy) by Peter F. Hamilton ''The Neutronium Alchemist'', the intelligence agents pursuing Dr Alkad Mzu have to switch to manual driving when the electronic-warfare abilities of the Possessed glitch their vehicles.

* In Creator/LarryNiven's ''Literature/KnownSpace'' universe, it's illegal (and, in fact, a capital offense) on Earth to operate a car on manual within city limits. Considering how some people drive and the fact that they're all ''flying cars''...
* Creator/IsaacAsimov's "{{Literature/Sally}}": This story predicted some of the controversy around robotic cars, such as the move from privately owned cars to fleets of robo-cabs. The narrator blames it on the cost of automatic automobiles, while more modern reasons would add the decreasing convenience of urban car ownership, parking, and maintenance.
-->I can remember when there wasn't an automobile in the world with brains enough to find its own way home. I chauffeured dead lumps of machines that needed a man's hand at their controls every minute. Every year machines like that used to kill tens of thousands of people. The automatics fixed that. A positronic brain can react much faster than a human one, of course, and it paid people to keep hands off the controls. You got in, punched your destination and let it go its own way. We take it for granted now, but I remember when the first laws came out forcing the old machines off the highways and limiting travel to automatics. Lord, what a fuss. They called it everything from communism to fascism, but it emptied the highways and stopped the killing, and still more people get around more easily the new way. Of course, the automatics were ten to a hundred times as expensive as the hand-driven ones, and there weren't many that could afford a private vehicle. The industry specialized in turning out omnibus-automatics. You could always call a company and have one stop at your door in a matter of minutes and take you where you wanted to go. Usually, you had to drive with others who were going your way, but what's wrong with that?
* This technology exists in the [[Literature/HonorHarrington Honorverse]]. When investigating a character's death by aircar collision, the examiners have a discussion which implies that it's the standard mode for aircars, at least in Haven, and that switching over to manual mode requires the user to pass a blood-alcohol test. Of course, the books also make a side-mention that Havenites routinely [[FailSafeFailure tamper with the built-in blood-alcohol testing equipment.]]
** Mesa, judging by some scenes in ''Cauldron of Ghosts'', has very tight regulations on when you can switch your car from the onboard [[ArtificialIntelligence A.I.]] to manual control.
* These had just been invented in ''Literature/{{Remnants}}'' when [[KillEmAll the rock hit]]. It mentions that the legal driving age was reduced to twelve if you're driving an automated car.

* ''Literature/VorkosiganSaga'':
** In ''Literature/ACivilCampaign'', Miles' armsman/chauffeur, after the third vehicular near-miss of the week, inquires when Vorbarr Sultana would be getting its municipal traffic control system installed. Miles responds that priority was being given to the automated air traffic control in light of increased [[FlyingCar lightflyer]] fatalities.
** ''Literature/BrothersInArms'' and ''Literature/{{Cryoburn}}'' describe in passing the use of automated ground vehicles in London (Earth) and Northbridge (Kibou-Daini), respectively.
** And auto-cabs are mentioned in both ''Literature/ACivilCampaign'' and ''Literature/CaptainVorpatrilsAlliance'', so these exist even without a municipal traffic control system.
* The Creator/EoinColfer novel ''Literature/TheSupernaturalist'' takes place in the [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture near future]] where almost all cars use plastic treads instead of tires and lock into grooves on the roads while driving, though not all roads have this track system and are used for drag racing.
* Creator/RobertAHeinlein used the trope more than once. His Future History novel ''Literature/MethuselahsChildren'' opens with a character settling back for a nap while her car drives her to her destination, before resuming manual control when she reaches the back roads. In his later novel ''Literature/JobAComedyOfJustice'', his protagonists--who are being involuntarily dumped from one [[AlternateUniverse parallel world]] to another--wind up in a relatively higher-tech universe and are picked up by a guy in a very slick automated automobile. (Both protagonists are [[NakedPeopleTrappedOutside stark naked]] at the time; also, [[spoiler: the guy who gives them a ride [[ItMakesSenseInContext later turns out to be Satan]]]].)

* Pretty much the default for civilian anti-gravity "gliders" and similar vehicles on worlds that have them in ''Literature/PerryRhodan''. Pilots usually ''can'' take personal control (or at least more or less forcefully override the automatic guidance if they know how or just get lucky), but in their everyday lives most people simply never bother. (This is sometimes played for humor, as with a character who finds out from a public glider he's requested the day Earth's automated infrastructure resumes operations after a rather extended downtime -- to see if they really work again -- that all of that service's rides will be free that day...and suddenly feels rather grateful for that because he's gotten so used to having to hotwire shut-down vehicles and otherwise co-opt "ownerless" gear using that he doesn't even have any ''money'' on him.)
* ''Literature/TheWomanWhoMadeMachinesGoHaywire'' has the title character temporarily making her car drive itself. However, it does so without the slightest regard for road laws; and at one point even chases a dog

* ''Literature/ChakonaSpace'': This type of vehicle is routinely seen in this 'Verse. One story discusses the advantages. One article discusses the development of these vehicles. The same article also discusses the in-universe fiction centered on these vehicles.
* The genesis of everything ''Killdozer'' is based on Theodore Sturgeon's as-titled novella. A driller bulldozer unearths an ancient spirit, possessing it beyond usability; such that it becomes a half sentient human only killing machine.
* Kathleen Ann Goonan provides the, if only briefly, driverless taxis of a post-2034 China in ''Literature/TheBonesOfTime''.

* There's an anime called ''Anime/ExDriver'', where ''everyone'' uses automated cars -- unfortunately, the AI in them occasionally [[AIIsACrapshoot goes nuts and the car goes out of control]], at which point it's up to a squad of people with the instinctive ability to drive manual-control cars (called eX-Drivers) to chase them down and bring them to a halt with their driving skills and some fancy battools (specifically, a gadget that freezes up the target's onboard GPS and revolvers that fire some sticky-cement substance for blacking out the machine's sensors). It is very, very cool. And theme songs are by Music/JAMProject!
* Implied in ''Anime/SerialExperimentsLain''. First, a speeding car almost hits Lain while standing in the middle of the road. Later, we hear a news report that says the guidance system somehow went haywire.
* The page quote comes from a story in the ''Manga/ExcelSaga'' manga, where Excel accidentally gets trapped in MadScientist Dr. Shiouji's robotic car, which has a [[StalkerWithACrush crush on its creator]] and wants to [[MurderTheHypotenuse Murder what it thinks is the Hypotenuse]].

* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'': Academy City has self-driving electric buses, though they're only brought out on special occasions when the general public is permitted into the city. Most of the time they have ordinary manually-driven buses like most other places.
* ''Anime/LegendOfGalacticHeroes'': Vehicles in the Alliance capital planet of Heinessen appear to have this function, though drivers can easily switch to manual controls if they so wish.

-->'''Computer:''' We only offer fully autonomous or manual vehicles, which the customer drives for themselves.
-->'''Togusa:''' [[YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe Seriously?]] It's not like I hate to drive, but this seems like overkill.

[[folder:ComicBooks]]

--->'''Mean Machine''': I've got to put up with a driver who gets me trashed in every single race and a biomechanical dog who wipes his wormy tailpipe on my seats on a daily basis. I sure as hell don't have to take crap from an eight-legged lizard.
--->'''Convert-O-Car''': Technically, that was urine.
--->''A drunk vomits on the Mean Machine''
--->'''Mean Machine''': Hey!
--->''The other cars point and laugh''
* ''[[ComicBook/RobinSeries Robin]]'': Tim's Redbird can drive itself to his location. He's never seen using this when the car is very far away so it's not seen how well it would deal with traffic, which is probably a good thing since it doesn't balk at driving on sidewalks and crashing through glass doors to get to him.
* ''ComicBook/Batgirl2009'': Stephanie's "Compact" motorcycle like vehicle can drive itself to a given destination.
* The Automauto in ''ComicBook/DonaldDuck''. It is an experimental car with a single button on the dashboard. Naturally, Donald climbs in and presses the button, with disastrous results.

* Benny the Cab from ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit''. "No, ''I'll'' drive, ''I'm'' the cab!" [[spoiler:After being injured by some Dip, he/it ends up ''driving'' a car.]]

* All the cars in ''Film/MinorityReport''... although at least some models seem to have a "manual mode", they seem to do most of their travelling under computer control, apparently from some kind of central traffic control system. There is a chase scene in which the hero must escape from his automated car, which the police can easily track while it's in motion and have programmed to bring him to the nearest station.
* The automated 18-wheelers in ''Solar Crisis''. They put a motorcycle on the road to try to stop one and the truck just runs right over it, but when one of them stands out in the path of the next one that comes along, this truck does stop. The truck has a fail-safe to prevent it from running over people.
* Johnny Cab from the original ''Film/TotalRecall1990''.

* Quite a few Franchise/{{Transformers}} have car altmodes, so they qualify. This was played with in [[Film/{{Transformers}} The Movie]], where Bumblebee conveniently "breaks down" at a MakeOutPoint while carrying Sam and Michaela.

* 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.
* In ''Film/The6thDay'', Adam Gibson (Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger) and his friend have a chat to each other while their car drives itself. The car then asks if he wants to switch to manual mode as they near the heliport where they work, which Arnie does.

* ''Film/TheCar'' (1977) is about a car that goes on a killing spree. Presumably, [[spoiler:being possessed by a demon rather than just being driven by one]] brings it within this trope.

* Happens in the opening of ''King of the Rocket Men'', the 1949 Republic FilmSerial that kicked off the [[JetPack Rocketman]] character. A scientist gets into his car only to find it's been modified by the [[SinisterSilhouettes shadowy]] [[BigBad Dr. Vulcan]], who uses remote control radio waves to send it off a cliff. The same thing happens to the hero, who of course escapes. The scene is {{Gag Dub}}bed in ''Film/JMenForever'' when the Lightning Bug causes numerous crashes by playing loud rock music.
* ''Film/TheInternship'' naturally has one show up since it is set at Google. Though in real life, the cars would have human drivers in them at all times.
* Film/TerminatorSalvation has the Moto-Terminators which are automatic motorcycles built by Skynet. They. Go. Fast.
* In a future presented in ''Film/HotTubTimeMachine 2'', all cars are automated smart cars, no one owns one anymore and they always seem to know when to pick someone up who needs a drive. They're generally respected because their onboard [=AIs=] get a little vengeful when mistreated.
* Weaponised in ''Film/TheFateOfTheFurious'' when cyberterrorists [[EverythingIsOnline hack the automated driving systems]] of hundreds of cars (whether or not they're parked or being driven by someone) and use them as blunt instruments to obliterate a diplomatic convoy in the middle of New York.
* 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. However, they don't seem to be very good at detecting pedestrians.
* Domino from ''Film/Deadpool2'' can let [[BornLucky "Lady Luck take the wheel"]] and let a vehicle drive itself while she engages in combat.
* ''Film/Bladerunner2049'' opens with the protagonist asleep in his FlyingCar as it flies over a future California changed by environmental disaster and massive factory farms. The car beeps to wake him up when it nears his destination.