Consideration for safety and security is a high priority to the product-development process at FCA US LLC, says the company. This approach leads to wide-ranging innovation, from a new strategy to deliver automatic emergency braking (AEB), to the proliferation of amber turn signals.
“We continually seek to improve vehicle safety and security and to identify new ways to deliver it more effectively,” said Phil Jansen, head of product development – FCA North America.
Model-year 2019 brings a more efficient approach to the delivery of AEB.
FCA US says it pioneered the democratization of sensor-fusion technology, having committed to the strategy in 2016. Once reserved for luxury-brand vehicles, it combines the attributes of radar and cameras to determine the deployment of AEB.
The first FCA US systems featured cameras and radar sensors mounted in the rearview mirror and front grille, respectively. The arrival earlier this year of the 2019 Ram 1500 full-size pickup consolidated these technologies behind the rearview mirror.
“The required performance is delivered from a package that is more compact and, in the case of the radar sensor, better insulated from the elements,” said Jansen.
Further, AEB applications in the redesigned Ram 1500 and refreshed 2019 Jeep Cherokee offer increased capability. It may bring the vehicle to a full stop if an imminent frontal collision is detected at speeds below 31 miles per hour (mph) – up from 25 mph in other/previous applications of the FCA US technology.
FCA US offers sensor-fusion AEB in 15 products across nine segments, according to WardsAuto segmentation.
The same approach is evident in the 2019 Jeep Cherokee, which is standard equipment on all trim levels and benefits from highly efficient LED technology.
Compared with the high-intensity discharge (HID) headlamps they replace, the Cherokee’s new LED systems deliver improved low- and high-beam performance of up to 57 percent and 31 percent, respectively.
The 2019 Ram 1500 pushes the envelope further, as the first pickup to offer dual LED projectors in an adaptive front-lighting system, which directs beams according to steering-wheel input for more precise illumination.
The new Ram, Wrangler and Cherokee also benefit from available amber-colored turn signals, which afford greater visibility than conventional turn signals.
FCA US also adds a tire-fill alert system to the 2019 Ram 1500 and Jeep Cherokee. When a customer is filling the tires with air on a vehicle equipped with this new feature, there is an audible “chirp” when a recommended pressure is reached.
