ANCAP slams Nissan for deleting safety tech

In Europe, the Nissan Qashqai can slam on the brakes to avoid a crash -- but Australians will miss out on the technology.

Australia's leading safety authority has slammed Nissan for removing new “life-saving” technology that can slam on the brakes to avoid a crash -- even though the system is available on cars in Europe.

The new Nissan Qashqai family SUV goes on sale in Australia today priced from about $30,000.

In Europe, it can automatically slam on the brakes in slow-moving traffic below 30km/h if the driver hasn’t noticed the car stopped in front.

But the technology has been deleted from models sold in Australia.

“Are lives in Australia worth less than those in Europe?” said Lauchlan McIntosh, the chairman of independent crash test authority, the Australasian New Car Assessment Program.

“It is astounding to see yet another manufacturer (remove safety equipment from) their models for our local market.

“(Automatic emergency braking) is a proven life saver and all manufacturers should be doing their utmost to bring this technology to the market today.”

Fellow Japanese car maker Mazda was also taken to task by ANCAP last year for deleting the same technology on the CX-5 SUV and Mazda3 small car, even though it is available on overseas models.

Volvo was first to introduce the technology in 2008 -- using a radar and laser to “read” the traffic ahead before intervening if the driver hasn’t.

Since then other brands have followed, including Volkswagen, who made it standard equipment on its cheapest model, the $15,000 Volkswagen Up hatchback.

“The lack of (automatic emergency braking) cannot be a matter of cost as it is available on other less expensive cars,” said Mr McIntosh.

A statement from Nissan Australia spokesman Peter Fadeyev said: “Autonomous Emergency Braking is available on the European … Nissan Qashqai, but this technology on this model is currently confined to the European market.

“We requested it for the Australian Qashqai, but at this time it’s simply not available for our market but we are continuing work to have it fitted to our vehicle in the future.”

Automatic emergency braking is seen as the next great road safety advancement after the seatbelt, airbags and stability control (which can prevent a skid in a corner).

Automatic emergency braking technology has been mandatory for cars in Europe hoping to earn a five-star safety rating from January this year.

But Australian safety authorities won’t mandate automatic braking technology for a five-star rating until 2018, the year after local manufacturing closes.