Nissan said it is making automatic emergency braking (AEB) standard on 1 million vehicles sold in the United States for model-year 2018.
AEB will be a standard feature on seven of the automaker’s most popular models: the Rogue/Rogue Sport, Altima, Murano, LEAF, Pathfinder, Maxima and Sentra (except manual transmission-equipped and all NISMO versions), as well as select Armada models, according to the automaker.
Previously known as forward emergency braking, AEB uses radar technology to monitor a vehicle’s proximity to the vehicle ahead, giving the driver audible and visual display warnings to help the driver reduce the vehicle’s speed if a potential frontal collision is detected, according to Nissan. If the driver fails to respond, the AEB system can apply the brakes, helping the driver to avoid the collision or reduce the speed of impact if it is unavoidable.
According to 2013 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data, one-third of all police-reported crashes involve a rear-end collision. The agency also reports that systems such as AEB can help reduce injury insurance claims by as much as 35 percent.
“The big news here is that we’re making AEB standard across all grades of our best-selling models,” said Michael Bunce, vice president of Product Planning for Nissan North America. “This increased AEB availability is part of our ongoing commitment to help reduce fatalities while realizing our comprehensive vision of Nissan Intelligent Mobility.”
Nissan said it expects sales of AEB-equipped 2018 vehicles to double those of previous model years.
Nissan offers a number of other advanced driver-assistance systems, including Intelligent Around View Monitor, Intelligent Distance Control, Intelligent Blind Spot Intervention, Intelligent Lane Intervention and Intelligent Driver Alertness, according to the automaker.
