Toyota's Radar Cruise Control

The cruise control that lets you relax and steer.

Toyota has announced that it has developed an innovative radar cruise control system with a low-speed mode to help reduce driver burden during traffic congestion. Toyota plans to offer the system in a new vehicle to be launched this summer.

Toyota introduced its first commercial radar cruise control system—for speeds from 40-100km/h—in its Japanese-market Celsior luxury sedan in August 1997. Further technological advances allow Toyota radar cruise control to be used at much lower speeds (0-30km/h), making driving in low-speed situations easier.

The new system keeps track of the preceding vehicle at speeds of 30km/h or lower. When the preceding vehicle stops, the system provides visual and audio warnings urging the driver to apply the brakes. If the driver does not respond in time, the system slows the vehicle to a complete stop. It thus assists the driver in stop-and-go traffic by reducing pedal work.

The key to the new system lies in a broader range laser sensor for detecting vehicles ahead and improved recognition capabilities, as well as the use of a high-performance braking system that operates smoothly in low speed ranges.

In developing this system, Toyota, using test vehicles certified by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation in 2001, conducted road tests on the Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway, known for it often-congested conditions and numerous curves.

The new system’s low-speed mode, coupled with a conventional mode for mid-to-high speed range driving, is estimated to cover about 90% of driving-speed situations during a typical weekday on the Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway.