Selenium not launching properly on Ubuntu 15.10

I'm trying to get started with selenium. I installed it with sudo npm install selenium-standalone@latest -g. Then I installed Java with sudo apt-get install default-jre. The command java -version now says:

java version "1.7.0_101"
OpenJDK Runtime Environment (IcedTea 2.6.6) (7u101-2.6.6-0ubuntu0.15.10.1)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (build 24.95-b01, mixed mode)

Finally completed the selenium installation with: sudo selenium-standalone install. When I now try to start Selenium with the command: selenium-standalone start, I get the following messages:

14:40:31.337 INFO - Launching a standalone Selenium Server
Setting system property webdriver.chrome.driver to /usr/lib/node_modules/selenium-standalone/.selenium/chromedriver/2.21-x64-chromedriver
14:40:31.357 INFO - Java: Oracle Corporation 24.95-b01
14:40:31.357 INFO - OS: Linux 4.2.0-34-generic amd64
14:40:31.364 INFO - v2.53.0, with Core v2.53.0. Built from revision 35ae25b
14:40:31.406 INFO - Driver provider org.openqa.selenium.ie.InternetExplorerDriver registration is skipped: registration capabilities Capabilities [{platform=WINDOWS, ensureCleanSession=true, browserName=internet explorer, version=}] does not match the current platform LINUX
14:40:31.406 INFO - Driver provider org.openqa.selenium.edge.EdgeDriver registration is skipped: registration capabilities Capabilities [{platform=WINDOWS, browserName=MicrosoftEdge, version=}] does not match the current platform LINUX
14:40:31.406 INFO - Driver class not found: com.opera.core.systems.OperaDriver
14:40:31.406 INFO - Driver provider com.opera.core.systems.OperaDriver is not registered
14:40:31.407 INFO - Driver provider org.openqa.selenium.safari.SafariDriver registration is skipped: registration capabilities Capabilities [{platform=MAC, browserName=safari, version=}] does not match the current platform LINUX
14:40:31.407 INFO - Driver class not found: org.openqa.selenium.htmlunit.HtmlUnitDriver
14:40:31.408 INFO - Driver provider org.openqa.selenium.htmlunit.HtmlUnitDriver is not registered
14:40:31.441 INFO - RemoteWebDriver instances should connect to: http://ift.tt/MlyWIA
14:40:31.441 INFO - Selenium Server is up and running
Selenium started

I don't care about the missing Firefox and Internet Explorer drivers as I'm trying to use Selenium with Chromium.

If I now point Chromium to: http://ift.tt/MlyWIA, I see a webpage with an empty list of sessions and a button "Create session". If I click that button and select "Chrome" as my browser, I get the error Unable to create new sesssion and the following messages on the console:

14:48:08.866 INFO - Executing: [new session: Capabilities [{browserName=chrome}]])
14:48:08.867 INFO - Creating a new session for Capabilities [{browserName=chrome}]
Starting ChromeDriver 2.21.371461 (633e689b520b25f3e264a2ede6b74ccc23cb636a) on port 16552
Only local connections are allowed.
14:48:10.094 WARN - Exception thrown
java.util.concurrent.ExecutionException: org.openqa.selenium.WebDriverException: java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException
Build info: version: '2.53.0', revision: '35ae25b', time: '2016-03-15 17:00:58'
System info: host: 'beetlejuice', ip: '127.0.1.1', os.name: 'Linux', os.arch: 'amd64', os.version: '4.2.0-34-generic', java.version: '1.7.0_101'
Driver info: driver.version: unknown
    at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.report(FutureTask.java:122)
    at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.get(FutureTask.java:188)
    at org.openqa.selenium.remote.server.DefaultSession.execute(DefaultSession.java:183)
    at org.openqa.selenium.remote.server.DefaultSession.<init>(DefaultSession.java:119)
    at org.openqa.selenium.remote.server.DefaultSession.createSession(DefaultSession.java:95)
    at org.openqa.selenium.remote.server.DefaultDriverSessions.newSession(DefaultDriverSessions.java:124)
    at org.openqa.selenium.remote.server.handler.NewSession.handle(NewSession.java:59)
    at org.openqa.selenium.remote.server.handler.NewSession.handle(NewSession.java:1)
    at org.openqa.selenium.remote.server.rest.ResultConfig.handle(ResultConfig.java:111)
    at org.openqa.selenium.remote.server.JsonHttpCommandHandler.handleRequest(JsonHttpCommandHandler.java:79)
    at org.openqa.selenium.remote.server.DriverServlet.handleRequest(DriverServlet.java:204)
    at org.openqa.selenium.remote.server.DriverServlet.doPost(DriverServlet.java:166)
    at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:707)
    at org.openqa.selenium.remote.server.DriverServlet.service(DriverServlet.java:132)
    at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:790)
    at org.openqa.jetty.jetty.servlet.ServletHolder.handle(ServletHolder.java:428)
    at org.openqa.jetty.jetty.servlet.ServletHandler.dispatch(ServletHandler.java:680)
    at org.openqa.jetty.jetty.servlet.ServletHandler.handle(ServletHandler.java:571)
    at org.openqa.jetty.http.HttpContext.handle(HttpContext.java:1526)
    at org.openqa.jetty.http.HttpContext.handle(HttpContext.java:1479)
    at org.openqa.jetty.http.HttpServer.service(HttpServer.java:920)
    at org.openqa.jetty.http.HttpConnection.service(HttpConnection.java:820)
    at org.openqa.jetty.http.HttpConnection.handleNext(HttpConnection.java:986)
    at org.openqa.jetty.http.HttpConnection.handle(HttpConnection.java:837)
    at org.openqa.jetty.http.SocketListener.handleConnection(SocketListener.java:243)
    at org.openqa.jetty.util.ThreadedServer.handle(ThreadedServer.java:358)
    at org.openqa.jetty.util.ThreadPool$PoolThread.run(ThreadPool.java:537)
Caused by: org.openqa.selenium.WebDriverException: java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException
Build info: version: '2.53.0', revision: '35ae25b', time: '2016-03-15 17:00:58'
System info: host: 'beetlejuice', ip: '127.0.1.1', os.name: 'Linux', os.arch: 'amd64', os.version: '4.2.0-34-generic', java.version: '1.7.0_101'
Driver info: driver.version: unknown
    at org.openqa.selenium.remote.server.DefaultDriverProvider.callConstructor(DefaultDriverProvider.java:113)
    at org.openqa.selenium.remote.server.DefaultDriverProvider.newInstance(DefaultDriverProvider.java:97)
    at org.openqa.selenium.remote.server.DefaultDriverFactory.newInstance(DefaultDriverFactory.java:60)
    at org.openqa.selenium.remote.server.DefaultSession$BrowserCreator.call(DefaultSession.java:222)
    at org.openqa.selenium.remote.server.DefaultSession$BrowserCreator.call(DefaultSession.java:1)
    at java.util.concurrent.FutureTask.run(FutureTask.java:262)
    at org.openqa.selenium.remote.server.DefaultSession$1.run(DefaultSession.java:176)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1145)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:615)
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745)
Caused by: java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException
    at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance0(Native Method)
    at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.java:57)
    at sun.reflect.DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.java:45)
    at java.lang.reflect.Constructor.newInstance(Constructor.java:526)
    at org.openqa.selenium.remote.server.DefaultDriverProvider.callConstructor(DefaultDriverProvider.java:103)
    ... 9 more
Caused by: org.openqa.selenium.WebDriverException: unknown error: Chrome version must be >= 46.0.2490.0
(Driver info: chromedriver=2.21.371461 (633e689b520b25f3e264a2ede6b74ccc23cb636a),platform=Linux 4.2.0-34-generic x86_64) (WARNING: The server did not provide any stacktrace information)
Command duration or timeout: 1.21 seconds
Build info: version: '2.53.0', revision: '35ae25b', time: '2016-03-15 17:00:58'
System info: host: 'beetlejuice', ip: '127.0.1.1', os.name: 'Linux', os.arch: 'amd64', os.version: '4.2.0-34-generic', java.version: '1.7.0_101'
Driver info: org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver
    at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance0(Native Method)
    at sun.reflect.NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(NativeConstructorAccessorImpl.java:57)
    at sun.reflect.DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.java:45)
    at java.lang.reflect.Constructor.newInstance(Constructor.java:526)
    at org.openqa.selenium.remote.ErrorHandler.createThrowable(ErrorHandler.java:206)
    at org.openqa.selenium.remote.ErrorHandler.throwIfResponseFailed(ErrorHandler.java:158)
    at org.openqa.selenium.remote.RemoteWebDriver.execute(RemoteWebDriver.java:678)
    at org.openqa.selenium.remote.RemoteWebDriver.startSession(RemoteWebDriver.java:249)
    at org.openqa.selenium.remote.RemoteWebDriver.<init>(RemoteWebDriver.java:131)
    at org.openqa.selenium.remote.RemoteWebDriver.<init>(RemoteWebDriver.java:144)
    at org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver.<init>(ChromeDriver.java:170)
    at org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver.<init>(ChromeDriver.java:138)
    ... 14 more
14:48:10.096 WARN - Exception: unknown error: Chrome version must be >= 46.0.2490.0
(Driver info: chromedriver=2.21.371461 (633e689b520b25f3e264a2ede6b74ccc23cb636a),platform=Linux 4.2.0-34-generic x86_64) (WARNING: The server did not provide any stacktrace information)
Command duration or timeout: 1.21 seconds
Build info: version: '2.53.0', revision: '35ae25b', time: '2016-03-15 17:00:58'
System info: host: 'beetlejuice', ip: '127.0.1.1', os.name: 'Linux', os.arch: 'amd64', os.version: '4.2.0-34-generic', java.version: '1.7.0_101'
Driver info: org.openqa.selenium.chrome.ChromeDriver

I then tried running a jasmine-based test, which but yields roughly the same messages on the console. Interestingly, jasmine does launch Chromium but immediately closes it.

My Chromium version is Version 50.0.2661.102 Ubuntu 15.10 (64-bit).

Any ideas?