Volkswagen’s commercial vehicles arm is to fit all of its future vehicles with automatic emergency braking (AEB) as standard.
The Caddy, Crafter and Transporter will all be fitted with the system from 1 June. Volkswagen claims that this is a first in the industry.
It’s the latest in a string of moves to standardise the system across the industry. The latest Euro NCAP crash tests requires an effective AEB system to score maximum points, and cars without crash avoidance technologies such as AEB or lane-keeping assist are penalised. As a result, it’s increasingly uncommon for new cars to not be fitted with the system.
Volkswagen, along with Mazda and Volvo, offers the systems as standard, which can result in a reduction in insurance premiums of around 10%, according to Thatcham Research.
Peter Shaw, CEO at Thatcham Research, said: "It's shocking that AEB, a proven lifesaving technology, has not been widely available to van owners or drivers until now. We call upon all vehicle manufacturers to follow Volkswagen’s lead and fit AEB as standard across all their light commercial vehicles as soon as possible."
Thatcham expects AEB systems to save the lives of more than 100 people and prevent injuries to a further 120,000 in the next ten years.
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AEB
Makes sense
So well done VW, but please let's hope that the autonomous braking actually works in the real world, not just during testing!
What will white van man do now!