Four automakers have equipped their entire lineups with automatic emergency braking.  -  Photo courtesy of IIHS.

Four automakers have equipped their entire lineups with automatic emergency braking.

Photo courtesy of IIHS.

Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, and Volvo have equipped their entire lineup of vehicles with automatic emergency braking three years ahead of their target date.

The four automakers met their stated goal for this crash avoidance technology with vehicles they produced from Sept. 1, 2018, to Aug. 31, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The institute analyzed manufacturer reports to reach the finding.

The roll-out of automatic braking during the year the institute studied was seen in that 7 million more vehicles were produced with the technology than the prior year. More than 9 million vehicles added the technology, which is a 30% increase from the year earlier.

Seven other manufacturers have equipped more than eight of the 10 vehicles they produce with automatic braking. They include BMW, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, and Volkswagen.

The automakers sumbit the annual reports to the institute each year as part of their aim to implement all but the heaviest passenger vehicles with automatic braking by Sept. 1, 2022. The automakers made their committment in 2015 as part of a deal brokered by the institute and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Hyundai and Ford made the biggest progress during the year. Hyundai moved to 78% from 18%, while Ford moved to 65% from 6%. BMW, Kia, Maserati, Porsche, and Subaru also reported "rapid progress," according to the institute.

Several other automakers have lagged behind. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, General Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, and Mitsubishi have equipped fewer than one in three vehicles with automatic braking technology.

Automakers have agreed to add automatic braking to cars and trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of 8,500 pounds of less, which would cover classes 1 and 2a, but not 2b and above. Automakers have agreed to equip class 2b vehicles, which have a GVWR up to 10,000 pounds, by 2025.

Of the manufacturers that produce class 2b vehicles, only Ford and FCA reported adding automatic braking to those vehicles. Ford has added it as standard equipment on its 2020 Super Duty trucks.

The technology is expected to prevent 42,000 crashes and 20,000 injuries by 2025, according to the institute.

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