Nissan, Mitsubishi Debut Automatic Braking for Minicars

Automatic braking a safety feature typically available only in high-end models is quickly spreading in Japan's minicar market. The latest producers to add the technology are Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp., The Nikkei reports.

The companies will offer the technology in well-equipped versions of their jointly developed Nissan Dayz and Mitsubishi eK Wagon MPVs.

The move follows the introduction of similar systems by rivals Daihatsu and Suzuki, the newspaper notes.

Such systems use a camera and radar to identify vehicles ahead and apply the brakes automatically if the driver fails to do so to avoid a low-speed collision.