German technology provider ZF has launched its CoAssist Level2+ semi-automated driving system on the Dongfeng Aeolus Yixuan, which was released late in 2020. This is ZF’s first global roll-out of the system, which the company says is the most affordable Level2+ system in the industry. Following the start of production, in future the system will also introduce the first application of its Gen21 Mid-Range Radar.
ZF is the full system integrator of CoAssist, which was developed in conjunction with partner Mobileye and includes Mobileye’s EyeQ camera technology. It also utilizes Hella short-range radars. By combining this advanced camera and radar sensor suite with a central control unit, functions such as adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, lane change assist, lane keeping assist, highway driving assist and traffic jam support are enabled.
“The launch of CoAssist with Dongfeng Motor marks an important milestone in bringing the advantages of Level2+ systems to affordable passenger vehicles. At ZF we believe that Level2+ systems that meet advanced safety test protocols and help relieve the stress on the driving task will be the primary driver for light vehicles in the near future and it is exciting to see these systems on world roadways,” said Christophe Marnat, executive vice president for the ZF Electronics and Advanced Driver Assist Systems division.
ZF notes that making such systems affordable is important as it enables greater market penetration and brings the system advantages to consumers more rapidly. This will also help them to acclimate to semi-automated functions as the driver is always in the loop, while offering advanced safety and convenience functions.