Photo: Honda
Honda Legend is not a moniker one comes across every day. The V6-powered executive sedan presently sells big in Japan, but there was a time when Americans got it too, branded as an Acura.
The Legend is extremely important for the Japanese carmaker, and that is why it was chosen to be the first recipient of a new safety system called Sensing Elite. Packed with features, it is supposed to take Honda into the world of Level 3 automated cars.
Based on the widely available Sensing technology, the new suite comes with a wide number of features, ranging from active lane change assist with hands-off function to traffic jam pilot.
The latter is, according to Honda, the first Level 3 automated technology to be recognized by Japanese authorities. It kicks in when the car runs in something called Adaptive in Lane Driving, and when it detects the car got caught in a traffic jam, it takes over acceleration, braking, and steering.
Jam pilot is capable of driving and stopping repeatedly, maintaining a safe distance from the vehicle in front. For the duration of the crawling trip, the driver “can watch television/DVD on the navigation screen or operate the navigation system to search for a destination address, which helps mitigate driver fatigue and stress while driving in a traffic jam.”
Honda seems to be planning a limited run of the Legend with the Sensing Elite, with 100 units to be sold in Japan only, starting March 5, for 11 million yen ($102,000).
“In its effort to realize a collision-free society based on its global safety slogan, 'Safety for Everyone,' Honda has long been at the forefront of the research and development of safety technologies,” said the carmaker in a statement.
“The introduction of Legend equipped with the Honda SENSING Elite represents the next step forward in the area of advanced safety technology."
For now, Honda did not say when it plans to offer the jam pilot on other cars it makes.
Based on the widely available Sensing technology, the new suite comes with a wide number of features, ranging from active lane change assist with hands-off function to traffic jam pilot.
The latter is, according to Honda, the first Level 3 automated technology to be recognized by Japanese authorities. It kicks in when the car runs in something called Adaptive in Lane Driving, and when it detects the car got caught in a traffic jam, it takes over acceleration, braking, and steering.
Jam pilot is capable of driving and stopping repeatedly, maintaining a safe distance from the vehicle in front. For the duration of the crawling trip, the driver “can watch television/DVD on the navigation screen or operate the navigation system to search for a destination address, which helps mitigate driver fatigue and stress while driving in a traffic jam.”
Honda seems to be planning a limited run of the Legend with the Sensing Elite, with 100 units to be sold in Japan only, starting March 5, for 11 million yen ($102,000).
“In its effort to realize a collision-free society based on its global safety slogan, 'Safety for Everyone,' Honda has long been at the forefront of the research and development of safety technologies,” said the carmaker in a statement.
“The introduction of Legend equipped with the Honda SENSING Elite represents the next step forward in the area of advanced safety technology."
For now, Honda did not say when it plans to offer the jam pilot on other cars it makes.
Google News