A Stanford University Volkswagen Touareg was the first vehicle to cross the line today to clench the $2 million price sponsored by the Pentagon.  The robotic vehicle completed the 132 mile DARPA course in seven and a half hours.  Last year, all of the entrants failed.

The unmanned vehicles must use their computer brains and sensing devices to follow a programmed route and avoid hitting obstacles that may doom their chances.

Early Saturday, teams were given a CD-ROM with GPS coordinates that chart the exact route. The all-day race, which starts and ends in the casino town of Primm, spans the Mojave Desert on the Nevada side.