It’s a familiar but unwanted scenario: traffic lights on red, a look in the rear-view mirror, the vehicle behind is approaching much too fast! A rear-end crash is looming. In such situations the new, optional ‘Pre-Crash occupant protection system’ in the Arteon provides assistance to the limit of its capabilities. For the first time, the Pre-Crash sensors are able to react not only to processes relating to driving dynamics (detected by functions such as the ESC) and to acute risks of collision from the front (registered by Front Assist), but also to hazards at the rear. For this the system uses data from Side Assist. Within fractions of a second it is able to initiate measures to lessen wherever possible the consequences of any accident.
This is how it works: Pre-Crash utilises the sensors of the Side Assist system, which during overtaking provides within the limits of its capabilities a warning of any vehicle in the ‘blind spot’. Via radar sensors Side Assist is able to register the position and speed of the cars behind the Arteon. This data is then analysed by the Pre-Crash system. It does this not only when the car is moving, but also when it is stopped with the engine running and in stop-start mode, e.g. at a red traffic light. If the detected vehicle moves towards the Arteon, the system uses the position and speed of both cars to determine the probability of a possible collision. If the new Pre-Crash system detects an imminent risk, it duly reacts.
The hazard warning lights come on displaying the rear emergency collision alert signal and the system simultaneously closes all windows (except for a narrow gap that improves the bracing effect of the front head airbags) and the sliding sunroof. In parallel with this the belt tensioners pull the front safety belts taut.
