Nissan brings standard automatic braking to 1M cars for 2018
The technology will become standard on Nissan's most popular vehicle lines.
Twenty different automakers have agreed to make autonomous emergency braking standard on their cars by 2022, but Nissan didn't feel like sitting on its hands for another five years.
Nissan announced Thursday that it would add standard autonomous emergency braking (AEB) to a number of its most popular models for the 2018 model year. The group comprises the Rogue, Rogue Sport, Sentra, Altima, Maxima, Pathfinder, Murano and Leaf. Nissan expects this update to cover approximately 1 million vehicles sold.
AEB might be a little jarring when it kicks in, but it's better than having to exchange information with the person you just hit.
Not only is it important because Nissan made AEB standard on many of its cars years before it promised to, it's also a key feature in reducing accidents and improving road safety. A car capable of braking itself can be the difference between a sigh of relief and a trip to the body shop.
Nissan's AEB system uses radar to determine the approach speed of the cars ahead. If it sees that a collision is possible, it will alert the driver with both audio and visual stimuli. If the driver doesn't apply the brakes, the vehicle will take matters into its own hands, either avoiding the collision entirely or mitigating damage by slowing down as much as possible.
Of the vehicles on this list, only the Leaf will be getting a major update for the 2018 model year. Set to be unveiled later this year, the second-generation Leaf will pack a number of new technologies, including both AEB and ProPilot, a semiautonomous system that will hold the vehicle in its lane on the highway.
