Nissan Presents Forward Collision Avoidance Assist Concept

It's been quite a busy week for Japanese manufacturer Nissan, as it announced several new technologies which will be featured in its future vehicles. The latest in this rather long line of announcements is the Forward Collision Avoidance Assist Concept, a system developed to help the driver avoid impacts.

Just as other systems developed by other carmakers do, Nissan's collision avoiding system uses a highly sensitive radar sensor to monitor the distance to the vehicle in front, as well as its relative speed. When the system believes a collision is imminent, it applies the brakes but not before alerting the driver through visual and audible signals.

If the driver fails do act, the system applies the brakes, either smoothly, to assist the driver, or with force, to avoid the collision. In this latter case, the seat belt is automatically tightened.

“The new "Forward Collision Avoidance Assist Concept" detects the vehicle in front at an earlier stage and generates warnings so that the driver can take action to keep away from a high risk situation,” Nissan says about its technology.

“Because the system is designed to help the driver decelerate smoothly, it is also expected to help reduce the risk of the vehicle being rear-ended by another vehicle approaching from behind.”

Separately, the Japanese manufacturer announced yesterday the warranty for the Leaf electric vehicle battery. In an attempt to match GM's offer for the Volt, Nissan decided to provide an 8 years or 100,000 miles (160,000 km) warranty as well. The Leaf EV is priced in the US at $25,280 ($7,500 federal tax credit included).