Lexus Moves One Step Closer to a World Without Crashes

• Lexus Safety System+ now standard equipment across the 2020 model year lineup
  

TORONTO, ON – June 19, 2019 – Collisions that result in injury can often be caused by a delay in a driver’s recognition of the situation and his or her ability to react accordingly.

In a move to help prevent such accidents before they happen, the Lexus Safety System+ will be a standard feature in all Lexus Canada vehicles starting with the 2020 model year. “We are working toward preventing crashes before they happen,” said Robert Tsang, Director of Lexus Canada. “That's why we have developed some of the most advanced safety features on the road today, and now those systems will be standard equipment on every model we sell.”

Designed to help protect drivers, passengers and pedestrians, the Lexus Safety System+ is an integrated suite of four advanced active safety packages anchored by automated pre-collision warning and braking. They include:

Pre-Collison System with Pedestrian Detection

This system is engineered to help detect a preceding vehicle or a pedestrian in front of the Lexus under certain conditions. Should the system detect a pedestrian or a potential frontal collision, it’s designed to activate an audible and visual alert while automatically preparing Brake Assist for increased braking response. If the driver does not brake in time, the system is designed to automatically begin braking before impact and, in some cases, can even bring the vehicle to a stop.

Lane Departure Alert

This system utilizes a high-resolution camera to monitor visible lane markings and determine the vehicle's position within a lane. If an inadvertent lane departure or potential departure due to swaying is detected at speeds of approximately 50 km/h, the system attempts to alert the driver with audio and visual warnings and steering wheel vibrations.

Automatic High Beam

To help provide added visibility for the Lexus driver as well as other motorists, Automatic High Beams offer added illumination to help keep the driver focused on the road. When the road ahead is clear, the system defaults to high-beam mode, then temporarily switches to low beams when it detects the headlamps or taillamps of vehicles ahead.

Dynamic Radar Cruise Control

This system uses radar and camera technology to help maintain a preset speed and following distance from the vehicle ahead. If driving at highway speeds and the road ahead clears, the vehicle returns to its preset speed.

A Future-Focused History of Commitment to Safety

Offering Lexus Safety System+ standard in the entire Lexus lineup of vehicles represents the latest advancements and innovations in safety – designed to help prevent crashes and protect people.

Additional groundbreaking Lexus safety innovations include crash testing ingenuity and real-world safety.

Total Human Model for Safety

The development of many Lexus vehicle safety features benefits from the Total Human Model for Safety, or THuMS, virtual crash dummy software. Unlike typical dummy models, which provide 119 data points, THuMS provides millions of data points and represents actual humans in detail, including the outer shape as well as bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and internal organs – enough to detect even a scrape or bruise. This means crash tests can be conducted to determine the impact on and solutions for an unprecedented number of potential collisions on a nearly endless variety of humans, from large to small, young to old. THuMS technology represents such a breakthrough in human safety that it has been shared with a dozen other automakers and research labs around the world.

Advanced Driving Simulator

Developed to better understand driver behavior, Lexus designed and built one of the world’s most advanced driving simulators. A massive, multidimensional structure covering a space the size of a football field, this futuristic simulator can travel the equivalent of 299 kilometres per hour, tilt up to 30 degrees, and move in six directions at once. Inside, ordinary drivers - in an actual Lexus vehicle - navigate their way through a 360-degree virtual world. This allows their reactions to be analyzed in real-world situations without real-world consequences.

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About Toyota Canada Inc.

Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) is the exclusive Canadian distributor of Toyota and Lexus vehicles. Toyota has sold over eight million vehicles in Canada through a national network of 287 Toyota and Lexus dealerships. Toyota is dedicated to bringing safety, quality, dependability and reliability to the vehicles Canadians drive and the service they receive. TCI’s head office is located in Toronto, with regional offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Halifax, and parts distribution centres in Toronto and Vancouver. Toyota operates two manufacturing facilities in Canada. Having produced more than eight million vehicles, popular Canadian models built at these facilities include Toyota RAV4, Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus RX 350 and RX 450h hybrid. Recent investments at its facilities in Ontario will allow for increased production of the top-selling Toyota RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid models.