Japan’s Vehicle Safety-Systems Installation Continues to Climb
Executive Summary
JAMA’s 2013 edition of “The Motor Industry of Japan” reports ABS was available on all standard cars sold with 1.0L or larger engines in 2011, the most recent year for which the association reports safety-system installations.
TOKYO – Japanese auto makers continue to make advances into the field of vehicle safety, a new report by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Assn. says.
JAMA, in the 2013 edition of “The Motor Industry of Japan,” reports antilock braking systems were available on all standard cars sold in Japan with 1.0L or larger engines in 2011, the most recent year for which the association reports safety-system installations.
A total of 185 different models offered ABS in 2011. The installation rate jumped to 93%, up from 80% in 2006.
Also making inroads were high-intensity discharge headlamps, available in 153 models in 2011; active head restraints (134); and electronic stability control (130). In the passive-safety field, side-curtain airbags were available in 75% of all models, although installation remained in the 15%-20% range.
Advanced safety technologies made steady advances, as well. For example, blind-corner warning was available in 20 models with an annual installation rate of 1.3%. Lane-deviation warning was offered in 24 models with a 0.8% installation rate.
Collision-mitigation braking was available in 49 models with a 1.4% installation rate. Curve detection was offered in 14 models with a 2.4% installation rate and lane-keeping assist was available in 17 models with a 0.1% installation rate. Night-vision monitoring was optional in four models, also with a 0.1% installation rate.
Adaptive cruise control, on the market since 1999, was available in 23% of standard cars in 2011, including 45 as options and two as standard.
In other JAMA findings:
- The average vehicle age grew to 7.95 years for passenger cars in 2012, up from 7.74 years in 2011; 10.43 for trucks, up from 10.04 years; and 11.12 for buses, up from 10.78 years.
- Used-car and truck sales grew 7.3% to 6.9 million units in 2012, the first year-on-year increase since 2003. By vehicle type, demand for second-hand cars climbed 9% to 5.6 million while trucks remained flat at 1.2 million.
- The National Police Agency reports driver’s-license holders jumped to 81.5 million in 2012, up 272,580 from the previous year, for a 4 million gain over a 10-year period. Men accounted for 56% of the total.
- Japan’s vehicle pool rose to 76.5 million units in 2012, up from 76.1 million in 2011 and 72.2 million in 2002.
