As evidenced on the show floor of the 2014 North American Auto Show in Detroit last week, new car models increasingly include features such as lane-departure-warning, adaptive-cruise-control, and parking-assist systems. Technology advances are leading inexorably toward increased used of automation. With the goal of providing the global engineering community with a common "autonomous vehicle" terminology platform, the SAE International On-Road Automated Vehicle Standards Committee recently published a new SAE Information Report: J3016, "Taxonomy and Definitions for Terms Related to On-Road Motor Vehicle Automated Driving Systems." Said Jack Pokrzywa, Manager, Ground Vehicle Standards, SAE International: "Today's technological advancements in the automotive industry come at a high pace. This requires engineering standards to be applied much more quickly. SAE International’s technical standards committees are doing a tremendous job in ensuring that a consensus-based process helps to apply new technology in vehicles worldwide." The Information Report provides a taxonomy describing the full range of levels of automation in on-road motor vehicles, and it includes operational definitions for advanced levels of automation and related terms. Click here for more information or to purchase the document.