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Subaru updates EyeSight system with color-detecting cameras

Subaru is giving its EyeSight driver assistance camera system a major upgrade for the 2015 model year with new color cameras, as well as reducing its size by 15 percent over the rather bulky original system.
Subaru locates its EyeSight hardware inside the vehicle at the top of the windshield, which is unlike most other camera-based systems that have their hardware mounted somewhere in the front fascia. The benefit is that these rather expensive components are protected from any detritus that may hit the car, but the original system's size ate up a chunk of the driver's outward view. Thus, the shrinkage should be appreciated by new owners.
The upgraded stereo cameras have a 40-percent longer and wider detection range than the original system's cameras, and their ability to see color allows the system to recognize brake lights at a speed differential of 30 miles per hour, instead of 19 mph before. And as before, EyeSight continues to offer adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and pre-collision breaking that can slow the car automatically if an imminent accident is detected, even bringing the vehicle to a complete stop.

Subaru Impreza gets smarter, safer and sharper in Japan

Subaru quietly gave the sedan and hatchback variants of the Impreza a mid-cycle update in Japan. Both body styles now wear a sharper front-end design, and they receive additional tech features. The current, fifth-generation Impreza made its global debut at the 2017 New York Auto Show. The 2020 model introduced online in Japan stands out with a revised front fascia characterized by a wide air dam that stretches the entire width of the bumper, chrome-look L-shaped trim on either end of it, and a revised grille. The changes made to the rear fascia are largely limited to tweaked lights. All told, you need to be an eagle-eyed car-spotter to tell the face-lifted model apart from its predecessor. Buyers seeking a sportier Impreza will be disappointed, Subaru is still taking its time developing the next WRX, but those who want a more high-tech car that helps them drive will be thrilled. Every Japanese-spec Impreza regardless of trim level is now equipped with EyeSight Touring Assist, a suite of electronic driving aids that handles accelerating, braking and steering in a wide range of conditions. These features don't make the Impreza autonomous in any way, and the driver still needs to stay focused on the road ahead, but they help when driving becomes tedious. There are other, more minor upgrades on the menu. The door mirrors now tilt down when the driver selects reverse, for example, and Subaru added a front-view camera.  In Japan, the Impreza carries on with either a 1.6-liter flat-four rated at 115 horsepower, or a 2.0-liter flat-four with 154 horses on tap. The entry-level model is front-wheel drive, surprisingly, but all-wheel drive is standard on higher trims. Regardless, both engines shift through a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that offers seven pre-programmed virtual gears. The Impreza lost its manual transmission in its home country years ago, though the company's American division continues to let buyers give a shift. Subaru hasn't announced plans to make similar changes to the American-spec model and tells us "it's too early for us to release information" about that, but it's not too far-fetched to speculate we'll get an updated Impreza sooner rather than later. We might see the model break cover during the 2019 edition of the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, and it could arrive in showrooms during the 2020 model year.

California adapts ZEV mandate with PHEVs for smaller automakers

California is the nation's largest market for zero-emissions vehicles with over 100,000 of them estimated to be on the roads there. The state's goal is to keep that number growing every year. To that end, the California Air Resources Board is now tweaking its rules in a way that might not boost ZEVs but could mean more plug-in hybrids for the Golden State. Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Subaru, and Volvo asked for an exemption to the state's zero-emissions vehicle mandate last year due to their relatively small development budgets compared to larger automakers. CARB denied their request but did craft a compromise, according to Automotive News. Rather than being required to offer a ZEV in the state, companies with an annual global revenue of less than $40 billion, like those in this group, may instead sell plug-in hybrids to earn ZEV credits. The companies aren't completely off the hook, though. If these plug-in hybrids don't earn enough credits, the corporations must buy them on the market to make up the difference. Automakers with popular electric models like Nissan and Tesla have made a big business through this trading system by selling their surplus to rivals. Tesla alone pocketed $51 million in the first quarter from this part of its business, according to Automotive News. The changes to the regulations also aren't set in stone, yet. CARB is meeting in 2016 and could adjust things further at that time. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News - sub. req. via Hybrid CarsImage Credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images Government/Legal Green Jaguar Land Rover Mazda Mitsubishi Subaru Volvo Emissions Electric Hybrid California zev credits zero emissions vehicle