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A leading car manufacturer is hoping to revolutionise safety technology with a new system designed to avert collisions before they happen.
Subaru has created its EyeSight system, a cutting-edge driver-assistance safety suite that uses a set of dual colour cameras intelligently and unobtrusively placed near the rear-view mirror, which scan the road for unanticipated dangers.
This advanced system provides extra awareness, safety, and peace of mind with a five-pronged system. Senior general manager of Motorcity, Dr Bijan Majidi, explained: “EyeSight is an option, but more than 90 per cent of buyers choose it because they feel comfortable and safe with the technology.
“It’s becoming a must-have, just as seatbelts were an option many years ago and are now an integral part of the car, and like airbags were more recently.”
The first is Adaptive Cruise Control, which uses the two cameras to monitor traffic and react to conditions even before you do. One benefit is the optimisation of your cruise control, sensing the pace of the vehicles ahead of you and helping to adjust the speed accordingly to the lead car by operating the engine, transmission and brakes.
Secondly, the Lane Sway and Departure Warning is there for when fatigue sets in and you find yourself drifting in a lane. The system will alert you with a buzzer and flashing indicator to remind you to keep on track.
Lead Vehicle Start Alert prompts the driver to take action with a buzzer and flashing indicator if traffic in front has started moving and the driver is at a stop, perhaps if he’s distracted or looking elsewhere.
Pre-Collision Throttle Management senses the presence of obstacles in front of the vehicle. If you’re accelerating when you shouldn’t be, the system will reduce available power to lessen or potentially avoid a collision.
Finally, the Pre-Collision Braking System monitors the vehicles in front of you, and EyeSight will sound an alert and flash a visual warning if there’s danger of a collision. Most importantly, it will apply the brakes automatically if you haven’t already done so.
EyeSight has been available in Subaru’s two major markets of the US and Japan for some time, and is now being made available in the Middle East for the first time.
The new Subaru XV, which will launch next month, will be the first car to feature EyeSight as an option, before the Impreza in October, and subsequently the entire Subaru fleet will adopt it over the next couple of years.
Dr Bijan added: “It’s not quite autonomous driving, as you still need a driver to be holding a steering wheel, but it’s the next step on that path. It’s the most advanced technology ever seen in a Subaru, and it is almost here in Bahrain. In two years, I expect this sort of driver-assistance technology to be standard in Subaru and Volvo.
“It’s an important step for us. This isn’t just technology for the sake of it, or a gimmick to slap on the marketing material to sell the car. It actually saves lives and the statistics prove that.
“We’ve had the advent of passive safety with seatbelts and airbags, and then active safety with Anti-Lock Braking Systems (ABS), traction control and other electronics. This is the next evolution, and it’s here now.”
For more information on Subaru and EyeSight, visit the Motorcity showroom in Sitra or call 17736222.
