Ford Motor stated on Friday it will provide automatic emergency braking on over half its U.S. models in 2019, and that it is on it’s way to gear up all U.S. models with the device by 2022.
Automatic emergency brakes (AEB) are developed to assist vehicles avoid accidents. In an interview, Raj Nair, president of Ford’s North American operations, stated the company’s rollout of AEB has been reasonably slow because of the absence of consumer demand.
For 2018, Ford is offering AEB on about 15 percent of its American models, including the best-selling F-Series pickup and the stylish Mustang. It will make AEB standard later this year on four 2019 models: the all-new Ford Ranger midsize pickup and the redesigned Ford Edge, Lincoln MKC and Lincoln Nautilus crossovers. The 2018 rate compares with less than 10 percent in 2017.
In an update last month, the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stated four of 20 automakers last year equipped at least half of their U.S. models with standard AEB. The 20 automakers have agreed to install the devices on all their models by 2022.
Among mass-market companies, Toyota Motor fitted the devices to 56 percent of its 2017 fleet, NHTSA stated. The automaker on Thursday said that rate extended to more than 90 percent for 2018.
