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Lexus and Toyota to Introduce New Low-Cost Safety Systems On 2016 RX and 2016 RAV4 Hybrid

Whoever said safety systems must come as expensive equipment never heard of Toyota, Lexus and their attempt to come up with low-cost safety technology.
Toyota & Lexus Safety Systems 4 photos
Photo: Toyota
Toyota / Lexus Low-Cost Safety SystemsToyota / Lexus Low-Cost Safety SystemsToyota / Lexus Low-Cost Safety Systems
The 2015 New York International Auto Show will host two important premieres from Toyota and its luxury arm, Lexus as the first-ever RAV4 Hybrid SUV and the fourth generation Lexus RX will make a debut on The Big Apple’s automotive scene.

More importantly, the Japanese took the occasion to introduce their new driver assistance features on the aforementioned models, offering a “package of automated driver assist technologies closer to the mainstream”.

Named Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) and Lexus Safety System+ (LSS+), the two systems were created to support the driver’s awareness, decision making and vehicle operation over a wide range of speeds. Toyota says that three key areas are covered by these features, seen as key areas of accident protection: preventing or mitigating rear collisions, keeping cars within their lane and improving road safety during night time driving.

“Taking high-level driver assist to the next level, the safety packages will be offered as a very low-cost option and will be systematically introduced across nearly all U.S. Toyota and Lexus models and trim levels, top-to-bottom, by the end of 2017. Pushing these systems across our line-up, as quickly as possible, can help protect people in the event of a crash.  More importantly it will help prevent some crashes from ever happening in the first place,”
explained Jim Lentz, President and CEO Toyota Motor North America.

All is milk and honey so far, but I don’t think that associating ‘very low-cost’ to a brand like Lexus is a wise PR and marketing move. Just my two cents.

Toyota Safety Sense offers a ‘C’ package comprising a pre-collision system, lane departure alert, automatic high beam while the ‘P’ package comes with a pedestrian pre-collision system and a dynamic radar cruise control feature.

In the luxury department, Lexus brings them all together under the LSS+ pack but the systems are the same as offered by the TSS package.

TTS C will address compact cars and TSS P will be oriented to mid-sized and premium models. Both system will be available as an optional accessory from approximately $300 and $500, respectively. The LSS+ package will also come as optional equipment but since it’s Lexus we’re dealing with here, prices will range between $500 and $635.
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