Why isn't Smart City Brake Support (SCBS) offered on US models?

IslandTractor

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2010 CX9 GT Silver/Blk
In UK and presumably the rest of Europe and Japan (?Down Under too), there is a standard feature on all CX5 models called Smart City Brake Support, similar to the Mercedes collision mitigation system, that uses lasers to monitor distance to the vehicle in front and automatically applies brakes to avoid or mitigate collision. Why would that feature be deleted from US market models?

Here is a press blurb describing the feature. Sounds pretty desirable if you ask me.

"Mazda Motor Corporation has developed an advanced safety technology called Smart City Brake Support (SCBS), which helps a driver to avoid a frontal collision when driving at low speeds in the city or in slow traffic. The SCBS system will be available in Mazda’s new crossover SUV, the Mazda CX-5, to be launched this spring.

The SCBS system uses a laser sensor to detect a vehicle or obstacle in front and automatically reduces the extent of the brake rotor travel to quicken braking operation. If the driver fails to perform any operation to avoid a collision, such as applying the brake, SCBC automatically activates the brakes and reduces the engine output at the same time.

In this way, SCBC helps to avoid collisions or mitigate the damage from rear-end collisions at low speeds, which are the most common accidents with other vehicles. The SCBS system also includes Acceleration Control for Automatic Transmission (available only in Japan), which helps avoid unintentional acceleration that could be caused by depressing the accelerator instead of the brake pedal.

When driving from approximately 4-30 km/h (2.5-19 mph), a laser sensor mounted at the top of the front windshield glass detects a vehicle or obstacle in front of the car and reduces brake rotor travel to quicken braking when the system calculates that there is a risk of a collision occurring.

Next, if the driver fails to perform any avoidance maneuver such as applying the brake, an automatic braking operation is activated. When the speed difference between the driver's car and the vehicle in front is less than 30 km/h, the system is designed to avoid, or mitigate the damage from a collision.

If a driver accelerates when an obstacle in front has been detected by the SCBS’ laser sensor, the system alerts the driver with an alarm sound and an indicator. At the same time, engine output is curbed to stop unintended acceleration."
 
In UK and presumably the rest of Europe and Japan (?Down Under too), there is a standard feature on all CX5 models called Smart City Brake Support, similar to the Mercedes collision mitigation system, that uses lasers to monitor distance to the vehicle in front and automatically applies brakes to avoid or mitigate collision. Why would that feature be deleted from US market models?

Here is a press blurb describing the feature. Sounds pretty desirable if you ask me.

"Mazda Motor Corporation has developed an advanced safety technology called Smart City Brake Support (SCBS), which helps a driver to avoid a frontal collision when driving at low speeds in the city or in slow traffic. The SCBS system will be available in Mazdas new crossover SUV, the Mazda CX-5, to be launched this spring.

The SCBS system uses a laser sensor to detect a vehicle or obstacle in front and automatically reduces the extent of the brake rotor travel to quicken braking operation. If the driver fails to perform any operation to avoid a collision, such as applying the brake, SCBC automatically activates the brakes and reduces the engine output at the same time.

In this way, SCBC helps to avoid collisions or mitigate the damage from rear-end collisions at low speeds, which are the most common accidents with other vehicles. The SCBS system also includes Acceleration Control for Automatic Transmission (available only in Japan), which helps avoid unintentional acceleration that could be caused by depressing the accelerator instead of the brake pedal.

When driving from approximately 4-30 km/h (2.5-19 mph), a laser sensor mounted at the top of the front windshield glass detects a vehicle or obstacle in front of the car and reduces brake rotor travel to quicken braking when the system calculates that there is a risk of a collision occurring.

Next, if the driver fails to perform any avoidance maneuver such as applying the brake, an automatic braking operation is activated. When the speed difference between the driver's car and the vehicle in front is less than 30 km/h, the system is designed to avoid, or mitigate the damage from a collision.

If a driver accelerates when an obstacle in front has been detected by the SCBS laser sensor, the system alerts the driver with an alarm sound and an indicator. At the same time, engine output is curbed to stop unintended acceleration."

I was wondering the same thing. The US/CAN version of the CX-5 has brake assist instead it seems. SCBS would have been nice.
The is the exert I found from Mazda Australia's Technology page:

Emergency Brake Assist (EBA)


"Brake-assist monitors brake pedal force and input speed to determine when emergency braking is occurring. When detected, it automatically applies maximum braking force to all wheels. This reduces stopping distances during emergency braking. It works in conjunction with the ABS to also provide maximum steering control in these situations."

http://www.mazda.com.au/technology/emergency-brake-assist-eba
 
Europe has greater pedestrian safety standards than the United States, warranting extra protection from manufacturers (hence while hoods are so high on modern cars). It costs more money, though, and is not something Mazda could sell in great enough numbers to make it worth their energy to install on North American vehicles.
 
Europe has greater pedestrian safety standards than the United States, warranting extra protection from manufacturers (hence while hoods are so high on modern cars). It costs more money, though, and is not something Mazda could sell in great enough numbers to make it worth their energy to install on North American vehicles.

Not sure I understand their marketing. A feature like SCBS would be a marketing boondoggle as no other car in the US other than Mercedes offers anything like it at this point. Even the Mercedes system is different in that it works just to slow a car down to minimize rather than prevent a collision. Men go for horsepower but the ladies would definitely see this sort of technology as very desirable and as we all know the girls have quite a lot of say these days in family auto purchases. SCBS is clearly a safety device that would help Mazda distinguish themselves and draw customers from the CRV, Escape, Sorento, Tucson, Rav, Rogue. etc. Frankly it ought to be on every car they sell, at least as an option. The engineering/development costs have already been incurred and the device sounds like a small amount of hardware with software that is already available. How much does a little laser doohicky cost these days? $20 maybe. The chips to run the system must have been a big investment initially but now that they are available they cannot cost more than a few bucks a piece to manufacture. The blind spot detection system is at least as complex with multiple radar emitters/detectors etc so I don't see why SCBS wouldn't be part of a similar package.
 
Cost and profitability... That's why we didn't get it.

Would a mid-$20k customer pay another grand for such a feature? Very likely not.
 
Cost and profitability... That's why we didn't get it.

Would a mid-$20k customer pay another grand for such a feature? Very likely not.

My point is that given they are installing these things on European spec CX5s which sell for about the same as ours, it is certainly not costing Mazda anywhere near $1000 to add this feature. My bet is less than $100. I for one would gladly pay an extra $200-300 for the feature.
 
My point is that given they are installing these things on European spec CX5s which sell for about the same as ours, it is certainly not costing Mazda anywhere near $1000 to add this feature. My bet is less than $100. I for one would gladly pay an extra $200-300 for the feature.

The US vehicles are priced well below the European, Australian and even Japanese models.
Seems the US are a very budget conscience lot, and demand fierce pricing.

The point on pedestrian safety is exactly spot on. If the vehicle doesn't get decent pedestrian collision figures, it gets ranked down to 2 stars in the revised Euro NCAP ratings. It seems that the majority of American SUV's are being smacked with 2 stars in Europe, simply because their bonnets (hoods) are too high. Simulated pedestrians are ending up under the vehicles instead.

The Euro and Australian NCAP also rate vehicles higher if safety features are added that significantly prevent accidents. Stability control (Mazda's DSC) is heralded at least in Europe and Australia, as the best automotive invention since seatbelts (yes, either are far more important than airbags).

It's this attitude that makes SCBS a must have European feature.

The one industry that should take note to make it appear in the US would be insurance. Let's hope they're at attention when statistics on the benefits of this technology in Europe, get released over the next years.
 
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Seems the system is taken off Australian vehicles due to it not being approved here yet.
I suppose once approved, it will make it on to future CX-5's.

Possibly the same goes for US.
 
Having now had time to absorb some of the different specifications for different countries, my thoughts are similar to inodes. In the USA the prices are much lower, but also some spec is missing. This is due to the competition's pricing, I think. If things were equal(ish), some people would not even consider the CX5 as the price would look extortionate, relatively speaking. As said, lots of safety spec is due to the coveted star safety system which becomes more rigorous every few years. And, the insurance company ratings. 'Brake Assist' has been on some Mazda cars for quite a few years now and is also on the CX5 with the Smart City braking. I think this should have been offered elsewhere but suppose it's the regulations of passing such a system. No doubt it will be everywhere soon. As mentioned in another thread, the rear seat head restraints are different in Europe and Australia from the USA and Canada. This again seems strange as they aid the rear seats to fall behind the front seats and look better.

Mazda must have done market research for different places. Even in Europe some spec is different for different countries, for example the 'sun roof'.

In the UK, we have to have leather in the Sport version but then we have to pay for a package which has Lane Departure Warning (I think that is mostly standard in the USA), High Beam Assist and Rear Vehicle Monitoring. I would have preferred to have leather as an option (don't particularly like it) and have the three safety features for free as standard. Also, as they used the Tiguan as their 'role model', a good option would have been a heated screen (my Mazda 3 has it) or heated washer jets - ideal for an AWD in winter.
 
US version do not have Lane Departure Warning at all. All we have is blind spot monitoring in Touring and GT.
 
US version do not have Lane Departure Warning at all. All we have is blind spot monitoring in Touring and GT.

My bad, as you say. I stated the wrong thing. I should have said I think (but could be wrong again - it's hard remembering all the different specs) the USA get the Rear Vehicle Monitoring as standard i.e. the one where if a car is behind you in the next lane, a warning in the mirror is shown (and maybe a bleep if you are indicating to change lane). That is part of a package for us and I think it should have been standard as it is so useful and a great safety feature. I have it on my Mazda 3 and it came as standard.
 
I am in the US, have a '14 GT AWD and I have SCBS. It goes on if I approach my garage too fast while the door is still going up.
 
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