  This paper investigates the car-following problem and proposes a nonlinear
controller that considers driving comfort, safety concerns, steady-state
response and transient response. This controller is designed based on the
demands of lower cost, faster response, increased comfort, enhanced safety and
elevated extendability from the automotive industry. Design insights and
intuitions are provided in detail. Also, theoretical analysis are performed on
plant stability, string stability and tracking performance of the closed-loop
system. Conditions and guidelines are provided on the selection of control
parameters. Comprehensive simulations are conducted to demonstrate the efficacy
of the proposed controller in different driving scenarios.
