In a bold move Peugeot has added Autonomous Emergency Braking free of charge to its entire Australian lineup.
All models and variants — 208, 308, 2008, 3008 and the forthcoming 5008 — will feature the potentially life-saving safety equipment as standard.
The move has been welcomed by safety watchdog ANCAP.
Chief exec, James Goodwin, said Peugeot Australia is to be commended for the addition of this vital piece of safety equipment.
“Safety is not a luxury and having AEB as a standard offering provides enhanced safety to consumers,” he said.
As it names suggests Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) will automatically brake the car if the driver fails to respond in time.
But not all AEB systems are created equal — some work only up to certain speeds.
The latest generation Automatic Emergency Braking System (AEBS) fitted as standard to 3008 and 5008 is enabled when the vehicle is moving at speeds of:
- between 5 and 140km/h if another moving vehicle is detected
- under 80km/h if a stationary vehicle is detected
- below 60km/h if a pedestrian is detected
For all other models, the system will bring the vehicle to a complete stop, however speed thresholds vary.
The system reacts to both stationary and moving vehicles travelling in the same direction and also to pedestrians on the road.
At this stage of development it does not detect bicycles, motorcycles, animals, or inanimate objects.