Autoland, as used in a capable airliner, is much more limited than this. For an airliner, it's a procedure with lots of configuration and monitoring done by a pilot, in cooperation with air traffic control, which usually concludes with descent on a 3-degree or so path through touchdown and braking. Not to mention things like flaps and landing gear are still usually manually selected.

This is much more impressive, not the least of which because the system itself figures out the best place to land (taking into account operational constraints), how to get there (taking into account weather avoidance), and how to be at the right speed, altitude, configuration, etc. to perform the final approach to landing.

So to use your analogy, getting a bit closer to a self-driving car than just self parking!

> the pilot still needs to squawk 7777 and they should try comms, don’t know why a GA plane would be different..

The system being discussed is for when you no longer have a pilot.

Yes, this is not routine autopilot landing, this is "the pilot just had a massive heart attack and the only other people in the plane are a 12-year-old and an armless nun" landing.