Finally!  Adaptive Cruise Control Arrives in the USA
IVsource.net
29 September 2000

A major automaker is taking the plunge to be the first to make ACC available in the US, beginning in October.  This brief article also covers others in the queue, and provides the latest on ACC sales in Europe.

Once a driver sets a desired speed, ACC senses the zone ahead of the vehicle and will maintain that speed unless a slower vehicle is detected in the car's path.  The system automatically slows the vehicle to match the speed of the preceding vehicle, at a "gap" selectable by the driver.  ACC systems are billed as convenience features, offering virtually "foot-free" operation in normal freeway conditions.  While most ACC systems operate with radar sensing (typically 77 GHz), the Lexus system will bring Toyota's laser-based system to US shores.

Letting Go

The Lexus website invites customers to "let go while casually holding on" with  "Dynamic Laser Cruise Control."  It also touts automatic rain-sensing windshield wipers, a voice-activated DVD navigation system, and "intuitive parking assist."  The Lexus ACC is similar to the Toyota ACC introduced in Japan in 1997, according to Mike Wolterman of the Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Lexus  is in stiff competition with Mercedes Benz, Cadillac, BMW, Jaguar, and Lincoln for the luxury car market, and ACC availability may be a significant differentiator to buyers.  Lexus hopes to break the 200,000 unit mark in US sales this year for the first time, with a target of selling 25,000 430's.  Base price for the Lexus 430?  $54,000.  A fully loaded version rings the cash register at $68,500.

Mercedes Benz, Jaguar, and BMW are ready to introduce ACC in the US but have held off, reportedly to gain a better sense of consumer reaction and system performance in Europe, where the systems have been on the market for a year or so.  One European carmaker estimates "a couple of thousand" of their units are now on the road in Europe.  Looking at the BMW, Mercedes Benz, and Jaguar population combined, one could conclude that 5,000 or more units are on European roads in total.  Thousands more are plying Japanese roadways, as ACC is available there from Toyota, Nissan, and others. 

And the Number Two Slot?

Who will be number two in the US?  Hiroshi Tsuda, director of ITS for Nissan USA, confirms that ACC will be available on the MY2001 Infiniti beginning early next year.  Assuming a generally favorable consumer reaction and good karma (i.e., no unusual and high profile mishaps), industry experts expect that the other carmakers will move quickly to bring their systems to American buyers as well.

Laser Worries Apparently Not a Problem

In the early days of ACC, competition was hot and heavy between radar and laser based systems.  Hardware for laser systems was generally cheaper, but there were concerns about performance in inclement weather, and many postulated that the American public would be uncomfortable with lasers "firing" from automobiles ("Won't that put somebody's eye out?!")  The concern, of course, is purely perceptual, as the laser systems are fully eye-safe.  Nevertheless, for a variety of reasons, radar systems have ended up dominating among the systems adopted by automakers.

But, with the Lexus announcement, Toyota has clearly taken a stand that laser based systems are both effective and likely to be seen as safe to use by the public.

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... access  www.lexus.com and click the "Control" tab for the LS430.

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