General Motors will include automatic emergency braking, as well as four additional active safety features proven to reduce crashes, as standard equipment on 98 percent of its 2023 model year vehicles. This encompasses every new EV launching this year, including the Chevrolet Blazer EV and Equinox EV.
GM had previously signed an industry commitment to make automatic emergency braking standard on 95 percent of all new vehicles sold. Thanks to this advocacy and collaboration among automakers, more new vehicles than ever will now provide this key active safety feature as standard equipment. GM has now also gone a step further to make these four additional active safety features standard on the majority of its 2023 model year vehicles: forward collision alert, front pedestrian braking, lane keep assist with lane departure warning and IntelliBeam auto high-beam control.
“GM has gone well beyond the safety commitment we made to our customers for the 2023 model year, with a handful of additional standard safety features shown to bring real-world results,” said John Capp, director, vehicle safety technology, strategy and regulations. “As we look ahead toward a future vision of zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion, these technologies are significant building blocks with proven benefits for reducing common crashes.”
GM is committed to using safety research data to guide option packages that make the most beneficial features more widely available. A 2023 University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) study examining these GM safety features indicated automatic emergency braking, together with forward collision alert, reduced rear-end striking crashes by 42 percent. Front pedestrian braking reduced front pedestrian crashes by 23 percent and lane keep assist with lane departure warning reduced roadway departure crashes by 15 percent. In addition, a 2022 UMTRI study indicated IntelliBeam reduced nighttime crashes with animals, pedestrians and bicyclists by 22 percent.
The Cadillac LYRIQ, and the all-new 2023 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, provide these five standard active safety features and also usher in a new generation of front sensors with an expanded field of vision and added benefits. Available benefits of this new sensor suite include extending automatic emergency braking operation up to 80 mph, adding bicyclist automatic emer-gency braking to front pedestrian braking operation, providing smoother lane keep assist engagement and adding blind zone steering assist, which provides a brief, firm turn of the steering wheel to help avoid lane change crashes. Additional future products will gain these same advancements in upcoming model years.
GM’s latest affordable internal combustion engine products also reflect the company’s commitment to standard active safety features. Models as afford-able as the 2024 Chevrolet Trax, with a starting price of $21,495, will feature standard automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert, front pedestrian braking, lane keep assist with lane departure warning and IntelliBeam headlights. The Trax, along with the 2024 Buick Envista, provide customers more options for new vehicles priced well below $30,000. With this commitment, customers across all price points and trim levels will benefit from this set of proven safety technologies.
