Audi to join the self-driving car club

Audi is joining the growing number of automakers who will make self-driving cars that can navigate heavy urban traffic.

Bloomberg News reports that Audi, the world's second-largest luxury vehicle maker, will unveil a system that drives the car in stop-and-go traffic at speeds up to 37 miles per hour. The system takes over braking, steering and accleration, according to Chief Financial Officer Axel Strotbek.

Audi will join a Mercedes-Benz in having a system. In addition, General Motors CEO Mary Barra said Sunday that Cadillac will deploy its "Supercruise" system that drives the car at freeway speeds. Infiniti already sells its own self-driving features for cars at freeway speeds.

The systems are complicated. Bloomberg points out that a Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan needs an array of 12 ultrasonic detectors, five cameras and six radar sensors in order to perform its stop-and-go self-driving feat.

Strotbek said Audi will have its system available to consumers "very soon," but declined to be more specific. Audi has already had its share of success with driverless cars. In 2010, Audi sent a driverless TTS to the top of Pikes Peak in a demonstration of its expertise in autonomous technology.