Safety: New nano sensors for more advanced and accurate assistance systems

› Enhanced safety: new nano radar sensors on the front apron, plus rear radar sensors with increased range
› New in the Superb model range: Turn Assist, Crossroad Assist, Collision Avoidance Assist and Exit Warning available as standard in the EU
› Easier parking: Intelligent Park Assist, Remote Park Assist and Trailer Assist optionally available for added convenience
› Improved crew protection: up to ten airbags and new Attention and Drowsiness Assist

Mladá Boleslav, 28 August 2024 – Škoda Auto has further enhanced the safety of its flagship ICE model with a new generation of sensors and state-of-the-art assistance systems. Turn Assist, Crossroad Assist and Collision Avoidance Assist are making their debut as part of the enhanced Front Assist, while the Travel Assist, Side Assist and Trailer Assist have all seen their scope expanded. If needed, Crew Protect Assist and up to ten airbags protect the occupants.

“At Škoda Technical Development, we are always looking for ways to improve our vehicles. We pay particular attention to active and passive safety. With the new nano radar sensors, we are taking assistance systems to a new level. An extended range of functions ensures even better, more precise driver support – for added safety and therefore more comfort in all driving situations.”

Johannes Neft, Škoda Auto Board Member for Technical Development

For the first time ever, Škoda is using new nano radar sensors in the new Superb. Positioned in the right and left corners of the front apron, they further enhance the performance of the assistance systems, such as the Front Assist or Crossroad Assist. This assistance system, available as standard in the EU, alerts drivers to crossing traffic, cyclists and pedestrians when driving forward to negotiate a blind exit from a driveway or side street and brakes automatically if required. The multifunction camera in the windscreen now has a larger field of vision, and its images are also used by the latest version of the Turn Assist, which is available as standard in the EU. This reacts with a warning and, if necessary, automatically activates the brakes if there is a vehicle approaching when turning in the face of oncoming traffic at a junction. The Front Assist available as standard in the EU now also includes Predictive Cyclist Protection. The nano radar sensors in the rear apron increase the range of the Side Assist included as standard in the EU, which now detects vehicles approaching from up to 90 metres behind and warns of dangerous lane changes. The Exit Warning alerts drivers to traffic approaching from behind before a door is opened. It covers a range of 35 metres and an angle of 120 degrees. The new Swerve Support, available as standard in the EU, is active at speeds between 30 and 140 km/h to help prevent car-to-car collisions and at 30 to 85 km/h to avoid accidents involving pedestrians or cyclists. It automatically increases the steering angle when it detects that the driver’s steering response has come too late or is insufficient to avoid a collision.

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With the new optional Intelligent Park Assist, the Superb can park automatically in perpendicular and parallel parking spaces. This function now controls the steering, brakes, accelerator, and direction of travel (forward and reverse). The vehicle also stops on its own if the system recognises an obstacle. Remote Park Assist, which will become available at a later date, is another Intelligent Park Assist function. It is used to automatically park the car in a parallel or perpendicular parking space, or to exit from such parking spots. To perform the operation, the user has to stand within four metres of the car (with the car key) and can then control the vehicle remotely via the MyŠkoda app. The car and mobile phone communicate using Bluetooth. The car automatically controls the steering, braking and direction of travel (forward or reverse), while the driver selects the type of manoeuvre and the direction of exit. The optional Remote Trained Parking will enable drivers to initiate a previously performed and saved parking manoeuvre from outside the vehicle, using the MyŠkoda app on their smartphone within a range of four metres. The maximum speed during the manoeuvre is 9.5 km/h. The new Superb also features enhanced Trailer Assist as an option.

The Travel Assist offers improved visual displays of other vehicles detected nearby in the Virtual Cockpit. The Adaptive Lane Assist now also works on unmarked roads, while Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), in conjunction with a navigation system, also anticipates bends, junctions and roundabouts. The new Attention and Drowsiness Assist, standard in the EU, monitors driver behaviour, assesses the driver’s potential level of fatigue and triggers visual and acoustic warnings in the Virtual Cockpit if necessary. It uses an innovative algorithm to recognise short-term inattention (distraction) and long-term inattention (fatigue). It detects deviations from normal steering behaviour at speeds above 65 km/h and continuously evaluates the driver’s behaviour in order to draw conclusions about their fitness to drive. If the driver fails to respond to any of the system’s warnings, the optional Emergency Assist will try to wake them up by pulling the seatbelts and jolting the brakes. The system will then activate the warning lights, maintain the lane and slow the vehicle down to a complete stop. Finally, the Emergency Assist will automatically call for help via eCall. In the event of an accident, up to ten airbags protect the occupants. Driver and front passenger airbags, a knee airbag for the driver, side airbags on the front seats, head airbags and, for the first time in this model series, a central airbag between the front seats are fitted as standard. Rear side airbags are available as an option.