A quick look at Toyota Motor Philippines’ media release about latest leg of their Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) Campus Tour may sound innocuous. But hidden in a single line reveals one very important detail: Toyota Safety Sense is finally coming to local models.
The De La Salle University leg of the HEV Campus Tour is still focused mainly on the merits of the gasoline-electric hybrid engine. In fact, Toyota invited the students and faculty of the DLSU Department of Mechanical Engineering where they discussed, among other things, common misconception of hybrid vehicles. However, the statement from TMP First Vice President Ms. Cristina Arevalo is intriguing:
“TMP is well on its way to introducing various technologies and features available in other countries, such as the Hybrid Synergy Drive for fuel efficiency and Toyota Safety Sense [highlighted by us] for human safety,” she added. “This year will be an exciting time for the motoring public as we continue the push for electrification, and customers can definitely expect more options from Toyota if they’re looking to own environment-friendly cars.”
This marks the very first time Toyota Safety Sense was ever mentioned by someone at Toyota Motor Philippines in an official statement.
Now, for those who aren’t familiar, Toyota Safety Sense or TSS is a bundle of active safety features that were designed to keep the driver and passengers away from harm by preventing an accident or crash in the first place. The suite includes: Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Departure Alert, Automatic High Beams, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Road Sign Assist, and Lane Tracing Assist. It’s a good bet that all, if not most will be made available as part of the TSS bundle.
The question is: which Toyota model will get it first? Well, everyone is pointing to the soon-to-be-launched Hiace Super Grandia. It’s reported that its highest trim Elite model will benefit from the Toyota Safety Sense system.
Over 10 million vehicles have already been equipped with Toyota Safety Sense worldwide since its debut in 2015. The company’s plan was to really introduce the technology to countries around the world (it’s currently being sold in 68). According to their studies, TSS has reduced rear-end collisions by 70 percent. Together with clearance sonars (back-up sensors), the incidents have fallen by 90 percent.
Okay, going back to the HEV Campus Tour, Toyota also says they’re looking to bring in more electrified versions of their existing models in the country. This is hand-in-hand with the global Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050 which aims to eliminate carbon emissions completely in the next 30 years.
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