Peugeot rolls out AEB across majority of its range

PEUGEOT Australia has answered the Australasian New Car Assessment Program’s (ANCAP) call and moved to include autonomous emergency braking (AEB) as standard across most of its model line-up.

The safety upgrade comes free of charge and covers all 208, 308, 2008, 3008 and upcoming 5008 variants, excluding the 208 GTi and 308 GTi hot hatches that are not available with the technology due to their cooling requirements.

However, AEB will likely be fitted to these performance variants in their next-generation guises.

Peugeot Australia managing director Anouk Poelmann said that important active safety equipment such as AEB should not be exclusive to higher end variants.

“Autonomous emergency braking is an invaluable safety feature that Peugeot believes should be available to all of our customers,” she said.

“Furthermore, we believe that you cannot put a price on safety, which is why we are adding the leading-edge safety system free of charge to all our customers.

“AEB will compliment the already standard fitment of reverse camera across the Peugeot range and the high-level of structural safety our vehicle range possess.”

ANCAP chief executive officer James Goodwin praised the car-maker for its decision to democratise AEB, especially following the independent vehicle safety authority’s introduction of stricter standards on January 1.

“Autonomous emergency braking is a vital safety-assist technology, and Peugeot Australia is to be commended for this commitment to make AEB standard across its entire Australian model range,” he said.

“Safety is not a luxury, and having AEB as a standard offering provides enhanced safety to consumers.”

Specifically, new models cannot be awarded a five-star ANCAP safety rating if they do not offer AEB and lane support systems as standard, making Peugeot’s move a timely one.

Previously, the 208, 308, 2008 and 3008 did not feature AEB in the entry-level Active grade, while the 3008 also went without the technology in mid-spec Allure form.

As mentioned, prices have not increased to compensate for the addition of AEB, with the 208 Active instead receiving a $200 reduction to $21,990 before on-road costs, while pricing for all other models remains static.

The French car-maker’s AEB system employs a windscreen-mounted camera and, depending on the model, a front-facing radar to determine the risk of a collision with stationary or moving vehicles, and pedestrians (bicycles, motorcycles, animals and inanimate objects are not supported yet).

Forward collision warning will audibly alert the driver of the potential accident before automatically applying the brakes if appropriate action is not taken in a timely manner.

Thus, impacts are either avoided or lessened in severity by reducing vehicle speed without intervention from the driver.

The 3008 and 5008 feature Peugeot’s latest AEB system, which operates between 5 and 140km/h if another moving vehicle is detected, under 80km/h if a stationary vehicle is detected, or below 60km/h if a pedestrian is detected.

The previous AEB system in other models will also bring the vehicle to a complete stop, but speed thresholds vary.