Japanese manufacturer Nissan, the sixth-largest automaker in the world, has announced that it will make automatic braking a standard feature in its home market this fall. The first mass-produced Nissan to feature the system is the newly-introduced hybrid version of the X-Trail crossover, which was unveiled early this month. Nissan is not the first company to move toward universal implementation of automatic braking, which is fast becoming a priority for automakers and consumers alike.
As this blog reported recently, rival Toyota has announced that safety features that are currently present only in high-end models will be offered at lower costs in all their vehicles worldwide by the end of 2017. Features include cameras and radar sensors to automatically apply the brakes when an impending collision is detected or prevent the car from drifting into the next lane.
Nissan also initially planned to make automatic braking an optional add-on, but is now going one step further by making it standard. Carlos Ghosn, chairman and CEO of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, said at the recent New York International Auto Show that the move is a precursor to self-driving cars, which he hopes to introduce in Japan next year. Nissan has signed a five-year development agreement with NASA to work on the necessary technology, with the aim of having a self-driving vehicle than can navigate urban areas by 2020.
"The partnership will accelerate Nissan's development of safe, secure and reliable autonomous drive technology that we will progressively introduce to consumers beginning in 2016 up to 2020," said Ghosn.
Greening Inc. designs and manufactures a variety of test machines to evaluate vehicle brakes and components, built to the specifications of major international standards organizations. Through our international partners, we serve the Asian market as well as Europe and North America.