When you buy a Range Rover or Discovery, you're paying for a vehicle that can clamber over boulder-strewn trails and give you a back massage at the same time. So it shouldn't be surprising that last week the automaker announced it is developing the ultimate combination of these qualities: self-driving cars that can go off-road.

The $5 million project, called Cortex, will give customers "autonomous cars capable of all-terrain, off-road driving in any weather condition." Now, these won't be Robo Rovers that can plow through streams and scramble over hulking tree roots—at least not anytime soon. Rather, it's an early foray into what AVs will look like on off-road terrains.