Most Toyota and Lexus Models to Adopt Automatic Braking by 2017

Toyota Motor Corp. says it will make automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems standard on 25 of the 30 Toyota and Lexus vehicles it sells in the U.S. by the end of 2017.

This would be four years ahead of the adoption timeframe for the technology announced last week by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Toyota was one of 20 carmakers to voluntarily agree to the program.

Using a variety of sensors, AEB can detect and alert drivers of an imminent collision, and automatically apply the brakes as needed. IIHS estimates the technology can reduce rear-end collisions by as much as 40%.

Toyota’s plan calls for equipping most vehicles with its Safety Sense and Lexus Safety Sense+ technologies, which packages AEB with lane-departure warning and automatic high-beam functions.

The only vehicles not included in the rollout will be the Toyota 4Runner SUV, the just-introduced Mirai fuel cell car, the renamed 86 sports coupe (formerly called the FR-S), the Yaris (Scion) iA subcompact sedan and the Lexus GX large SUV. However, Toyota notes, the Mirari and iA already are equipped with stand-alone standard AEB systems.

Toyota Safety Sense features a pre-collision system that can automatically brake a vehicle at speeds ranging from 7 mph to 87 mph if an imminent crash is detected. Lexus Safety Sense+ adds adaptive cruise control and pedestrian and object detection capabilities to the package. Toyota buyers also can upgrade to a more advanced Safety Sense P system, which includes the Lexus technologies and steering assist.