I don't think the car ever had a hand operated cable for parking brake / emergency brake.
The parking brake calipers have always been separate from the main rear calipers, and the parking brake has always been an electrically actuated caliper.
Are you confusing this with the change made from hydraulically actuated main brake calipers (like my car has) to electrically actuated main brake calipers (which I think all auto-pilot cars have)?
What's up with the rear spindle question? Bearings ?