Safety Next for Carmakers

A new war is imminent among automakers, with the focus on safety as the key differentiator for vehicle lines, according to ABI Research in the US.

Senior Automotive Analyst, Robert LaGuerra says there are 'a host of cutting-edge safety systems in varying stages of development that will alter the consumer's perception of what makes for a safe vehicle... What is interesting is that automakers disagree about how they define a safe vehicle'.

Approached including electronic stability control (ESC), adaptive cruise control and telematics systems, blind-spot detection, lane-departure warning, driver monitoring, and pedestrian-based safety systems will all be used in some combination to make for a safer vehicle. Manufacturers like Honda and Mercedes are among the first to introduce systems promoting pedestrian safety, while GM may be the first automaker to introduce both ESC and reactionary safety systems such as OnStar as standard equipment across all its North American models.

ABI says there are still issues to be overcome, including high systems costs, the ability to have on-board safety systems communicate with each other, decisions about how much control should be taken away from the driver in an emergency, plus software and processor limitations in assessing an emergency situation on a real-time basis.

The New York-based agency, which focuses on automotive, semiconductors, wireless, broadband, and energy markets, is online at www.abiresearch.com

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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