Tuesday, June 20, 2000 TOKYO (Nikkei)--Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (7211) has unveiled three new "advanced safety vehicles" as part of a project promoted by the Ministry of Transport. The automaker will display the cars in November at a car show in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki prefecture, to demonstrate the firm's ability to convert the latest safety technology into commercially viable products. The first model, based on Mitsubishi's Grandis minivan, incorporates intelligent transport system concepts, including a wide variety of sensors and other information devices that detect obstacles or other vehicles in the immediate vicinity. An infrared camera can detect the presence of pedestrians in front of the car, and the vehicle will then give a vocal warning. Other sensors can detect objects to the left or right of the car, and they can keep the driver from moving the steering wheel in the direction of danger. Another model, based on the Galant sedan, is a "high-mobility" advanced safety vehicle with controls for the accelerator and brakes located near the steering wheel, for operation by drivers who do not have full use of their legs. The third vehicle, based on the Diamante sedan, is compatible with Smart Cruise 21 systems. The car can detect magnets or other special transmitters embedded in the road that signal the car to brake as it approaches the curb. The transmitters can even manipulate the steering wheel. (The Nikkei Industrial Daily Tuesday edition) |