MONTREAL – At the 2008 Montreal International Auto Show, Lexus of Canada thanked the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) for awarding it the 2008 CAA Pyramid Award(TM) for Safety Innovations for the Lexus Advanced Pre-Collision System.

“When we introduced the all-new Lexus LS 600h L, we focused on making our most prestigious hybrid flagship one of the most technologically advanced, from fuel efficiency and reduced emissions to leading safety initiatives. The Lexus Advanced Pre-Collision System in this model is helping to chart a course for technologies of the future," explained Yves Gionet, Director of Lexus in Canada. "This system, the first of its kind in North America, goes beyond rapid response to actually predict situations and implement actions to protect the driver and passengers.”

“We are very grateful that the CAA has honored us with this award, which we feel is an important endorsement of our approach to next generation vehicle design,” Gionet concluded.

The Lexus Advanced Pre-Collision System uses a millimeter-wave radar system and stereo cameras to detect obstacles in front of the vehicle. It correlates this information with data from a face recognition driver monitoring system to determine whether the possibility of a collision exists.

Once determined, the system co-ordinates the vehicle's braking, suspension stiffness and variable gear ratio steering to maximize their effectiveness in case they are needed to support driver evasive actions.

The Lexus Advanced Pre-Collision System is one of the many state of the art technologies fitted to the Lexus LS 600h L long wheelbase prestige luxury hybrid sedan, introduced to Canada in 2007. It is destined for introduction to other Lexus models.