丰田神奇新车抢先看

周身绑满摄像机、雷达和传感器的雷克萨斯600h看起来更像是一个研究项目，而不是一辆车。上周，这辆正在研发的车在消费电子展（CES）上展出，但它其实只是丰田汽车公司（Toyota Motor Corp.）眼下在做的一小部分工作。丰田目前正在开发先进设备、避免撞车，同时最大程度减少伤亡。

丰田在拉斯维加斯透露，它一直在密歇根州安娜堡市的一个研发中心开发高科技系统，并在一个占地面积达9英亩的示范村里按照真实条件进行实测。该村位于日本富士东村的第二个研发中心。

尽管丰田是自动驾驶系统领域的领头羊，但丰田高管依然非常谨慎，避免对许多人认为必然到来的大趋势做预测。这些人认为，未来十数年间，汽车将取代司机，自动决策并行驶。

丰田雷克萨斯分公司的集团副总裁马克•坦普林说：“我们会逐步让社会大众和政府产生信任，这样汽车才能被允许自动执行更多任务。这些技术性能必须恒定可靠，汽车才能让人放心地自动驾驶。”

今年秋天，雷克萨斯将开售下一代LS旗舰轿车。这款车将配有几项特殊功能，它们构成了丰田高管所称的智能“副驾驶”。比如一项名为“高级预先防撞”（advanced pre-collision）的功能就能发现障碍物或危险情况，警告司机刹车，并让车减速以防止或减轻撞车。

丰田的商业战略师吉姆•皮什称：“93%的车祸都可以在某种程度上归咎于人犯的错误。”如果司机注意力分散或反应迟钝，就可能无法及时刹车以避免撞车。

新款LS中的几套系统就能识别危险并采取措施。车道保持辅助系统（Lane keeping assist）——丰田称为LKA——在车辆偏离车道时能够察觉，警告司机，并在司机没能及时反应的情况下自动轻柔地掌控方向。

The Lexus 600h with cameras, radars and sensors strapped over its exterior looks more like a research project than a car. The research vehicle featured at last week's CES is one small facet of Toyota Motor Corp.'s push to create advanced gadgetry aimed at avoiding collisions and minimizing injuries and fatalities.

Toyota (TM) disclosed in Las Vegas that it has been creating the high-tech systems at a research center in Ann Arbor, Michigan and testing them under real-world conditions at a nine-acre model village located in a second research center in Higashi Fuji, Japan.

As a leader in the field of autonomous driving systems, Toyota executives scrupulously avoids predictions about what many say is inevitable, that in a matter of a decade or so, cars will be taking over the decisions and actions normally carried out by drivers.

"Step-by-step we will build trust with society and government so that vehicles will be allowed to perform more automated tasks," said Mark Templin, group vice president for Toyota's Lexus division. "These capabilities must be integrated with consistency and reliability before vehicles are trusted to drive alone."

In the fall Lexus began selling its next generation LS flagship sedan, available with several features that constitute what Toyota executives call an intelligent "co-pilot." The features, such as "advanced pre-collision," sense an obstacle or hazardous condition, warn the driver to brake and will help slow the car to prevent or mitigate a crash.

"Ninety three percent of accidents can be traced in some way to human error," said Jim Pisz, a Toyota business strategist. If a driver is distracted or slow to react, braking might occur too slowly to avoid a collision.

Several systems in the new LS identify a hazard and can begin taking action. Lane keeping assist—Toyota calls it LKA—will sense when a car is drifting out of a lane, warn the driver and gently begin to steer the car if the driver fails to respond.