Additional driver assistance and new pre-collision support have been added to the flagship Lexus LS sedan.
Titled active steering assist, the new tech is “designed to determine when there is a high possibility of collision with a pedestrian in the lane of travel or with some continuous structures, such as a guardrail.”
Lexus says, if the system “calculates that brake control alone will be insufficient to avoid a collision, the system can provide steering assistance in addition to activating an alert and applying the brakes.”
“When active steering assist is deployed, the car will only move within a clearly marked lane. The system automatically checks for any vehicles in the car's blind spots, including motorcycles.”
Active steering assist is accompanied by a pedestrian alert which flashes an animated graphic on the vehicle's head-up display if the system determines a collision is imminent.
Also new is lateral side radar pre-collision which can detect vehicles approaching diagonally at up to 50 metres in front of the LS. It alerts the driver through the head-up display and can trigger brake assist.
Other safety features added to the LS include lane-tracing assist, road-sign assist, active steering assist, and front cross-traffic alert (Sports Luxury grade).
These features add to the existing safety package which includes adaptive high-beam system for the LED headlamps, blind-spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert, pop-up bonnet and tyre pressure monitoring system.
A small price adjustment accommodates the safety technology inclusions with the Lexus LS500 now priced from $190,500 plus on-road costs and the LS500h starting at $190,750 plus on-road costs.
2019 Lexus LS pricing (excludes on-road costs):
LS500 F Sport – $190,500
LS500h F Sport – $190,750
LS500 Sports Luxury – $195,900
LS500h Sports Luxury – $196,125
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