Electric car maker Tesla is to make its first foray into automated driving, joining luxury rivals in offering hi-tech features, including one that keeps the car in its lane, said a person familiar with the car maker's plans.
The new capabilities will be revealed this week, the source said.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a South African, last week posted on Twitter that his company would "unveil the D and something else".
He included a photo of a darkly lit Tesla and the date, October 9.
Tesla, maker of the Model S luxury sedan, is adding electronic features that help drive the car.
It has installed cameras in the Model S, including a forward-facing one that will comply with safety technology required by European law, said spokesman Simon Sproule.
He refused to confirm the advent of specific safety features ahead of Tesla's announcement.
"We started installing camera hardware from September in support of European safety regulations," Sproule said.
"More news to come."
Car makers are increasingly competing on automated driver-assistance features, which are seen as a stepping stone to self-driving vehicles.
More cars are parking themselves, telling their drivers when they are drifting out of their lane, and when there is a vehicle in the driver's blind spot.
Many new cars now automatically maintain a safe distance from the car in front when driving in stop-start traffic.
Musk earlier this year said Tesla was advancing its plans to add self- driving, or "auto-pilot" features, to its electric cars. By next year "you'll be able to go from highway on-ramp to highway exit without touching any controls," he said.
As well as the Model S, the California company has announced plans to begin selling the Model X SUV next year and the Model 3, a smaller, more affordable premium sedan, by 2017.
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