Volkswagen Bringing Safety To The People For 2016

by Mark Stevenson

Published: July 29th, 2015

volkswagen bringing safety to the people for 2016

Volkswagen has announced sweeping changes to their suite of tech-driven safety features for the 2016 model year, making a vast array of options available on almost every model within its range.

The features, which are currently only available on the Touareg, will trickle down to a number of other models including the Beetle, CC, Jetta, Passat and Golf in all its flavors.

“Forward Collision Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking (Front Assist); Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC); the Parking Steering Assistant (Park Assist); and an active Lane Departure Warning (Lane Assist) system” are all mentioned in the release sent out today by Volkswagen of America.

The changes are also part of a planned upgrade to infotainment systems in Volkswagen vehicles for 2016. The new infotainment system, dubbed MIB II, will bring with it an improved touchscreen display and USB ports to Volkswagen’s most popular models.

You can check out the full changes to Volkswagen’s safety features on their media portal.

#Beetle #CC #Features #Golf #Jetta #Options #Passat #Safety #TDI #Volkswagen

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8 of 31 comments

OneAlpha on Jul 29, 2015

Perhaps they could call this "Safety Uber Alles," and shout it at you in German.

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JimC2 on Jul 29, 2015

I want somebody to invent an electronic nanny that figures out: - if the car is in the left lane, and if yes - if there is a big gap in front and a line of other cars stacked behind, and if yes - finds a gap to the right and changes lanes into it Not VW per se, but all automakers. And if this nanny has to activate more than, say, five times within a 24 hour period, it applies a painful (but nonlethal) electric shock to the driver. I have other good ideas.

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- Dantes_inferno on Jul 30, 2015
  
  Better still, I want somebody to invent an electronic nanny combined with directed-energy beam countermeasures which figure out: - If the car is in the left lane, vaporize it - If there is a big gap in front of a left-lane bandit and a line of other cars stacked behind, send a directed-energy pulse to remove the left lane obstruction and free up the traffic logjam - If it doesn't find a gap to the right, create one. - If a car is tailgating you, automatically send a warning pulse, and if the situation doesn't improve within the next mile, clear the obstruction behind you. - Nominate any driver who meets the criteria (listed above) to be on the receiving end of the directed energy beam for a Darwin Award.
  
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Tom Szechy on Jul 30, 2015

Without stating the obvious, just FYI, these systems are available on EU VW models for years now. As far as I know, they are considered quite mature already in terms of functional refinement and false positive activations. It baffles me though why are they making them standard (or optional) on US models only now. Actually I fail to understand VW's US strategy as a whole :)

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- Derekson on Jul 30, 2015
  
  I don't think they could've offered them at a reasonable price in the US until now. They probably got lower priced revisions now that the tech isn't quite as new, and so they can now offer this stuff as a package at a price that won't scare off US customers. Buyers are a lot more price conscious than they are in Europe.
  
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Brettc on Jul 30, 2015

Is any car company going to introduce a GTFA (get the eff away) feature that shoots the car up to 80-85ish immediately? It would be ever so helpful when you're trying to pass a trucker who happens to be texting/conversing with a friend of the road and starts steering into your lane. I have a working brain and I've got aspherical mirrors so I can see the idiots that are camping in my blindspot (WHY ARE YOU SITTING THERE!?). The electronic nannies are getting to be a bit much. However VW does need to offer decent lighting packages as standard equipment, it shouldn't be an option.

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- JimC2 on Jul 30, 2015
  
  While we're on it, something to get revenge on people who have "inconsiderate/absent-minded syndrome to use brights/high beams enDlessly" (aka I AM STUBHBID) when driving right behind others and when there is oncoming traffic. The big laser cannon from the Death Star would be nice. On a serious note, these occasional "aggressive driving" crackdowns could easily issue written warnings for the high beams-on-all-the-time-idiots. Get the ones who use front running lights only at night too. I bet they'd find out most people they pull over for this are not paying due attention to driving anyway, so win win. They'd also net a few decent drivers who just made an honest mistake, but OK. Written warnings, not $$ fines, because traffic enforcement is about safety (not tax collection, riiiight?).
  
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- Derekson on Jul 30, 2015
  
  @JimC2 I'd like to see people using Fog Lights outside of inclement weather added to this list. I see so many idiots driving on the highway on a clear night with their fog lights on, and they drive right behind you so they glare right in your mirrors.
  
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