October 2000
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October 2000 |
ACC
in the U.S. -- A Sneak Arrival?
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One is reminded of the debate surrounding who first 'discovered' the American continent -- all the ballyhoo was traditionally behind Columbus, until evidence emerged that the Vikings had visited long before. Recently, IVsource reported that Toyota would be first to the US market with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), on the deluxe versions of their new Lexus 430. However, the word from the Convergence Conference on Vehicle Electronics (October 16-19 in Detroit) paints a different picture. In the Convergence exhibit
hall, at a display of an S-Class Mercedes with the Distronic
ACC system, a representative from supplier Automatic Distance Control was asked
when this system would be available in the US.
"Oh, it's been available here since August" he said.
Suspecting this was the usual "announce and don't sell" tactic,
the question was pressed -- when can people really buy a system in America?
"That's what I mean," he said, "people have been buying
them here, around Detroit in particular, since August."
This information was later confirmed by reps from M/A-COM, who supply the
radar system in the unit. So, maybe the ACC "first to US market" award (otherwise known as the "guts of steel" award due to the US liability climate) will need to be retrieved from Toyota and presented to Mercedes Benz. IVsource
will continue to track developments as more information emerges. [Top]
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Copyright 2000: IVsource.net and Richard Bishop Consulting (RBC). All Rights Reserved. |
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October 2000 |