If you watch enough TV, you’ll hear advertisements bragging about “savings passed on to the customer.” You’ve probably never heard that as part of a car commercial.

The debut of the first-ever Toyota RAV4 Hybrid SUV and all-new fourth-generation RX luxury crossover SUV marks the arrival of new, multi-feature, integrated safety packages, each anchored by automated pre-collision braking and offered at a price dramatically below comparable systems across the auto industry.

“Taking high-level driver assist to the next level, the safety packages will be offered as a very-low-cost option and will be systematically introduced across nearly all U.S. Toyota and Lexus models and trim levels, top-to-bottom, by the end of 2017,” said Jim Lentz, President and CEO Toyota Motor North America. “Pushing these systems across our lineup, as quickly as possible, can help protect people in the event of a crash.  More importantly it will help prevent some crashes from ever happening in the first place.”

Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) and Lexus Safety System+ (LSS+) are designed to support the driver’s awareness, decision making and vehicle operation over a wide range of speeds.  Packaged together in an integrated system, their features help address three key areas of accident protection: preventing or mitigating rear collisions, keeping drivers within their lane, and enhancing road safety during night time driving.  The systems are intended to address commonly occurring crash types according to traffic accident statistical analyses.

TSS will be offered in the form of two packages:  Toyota Safety Sense C for compact cars and TSS P for mid-sized and premium models will be available as an optional accessory from approximately $300 and $500, well below competitor prices for similar offerings. Lexus Safety System+ aims to further expand the use of these systems across luxury models, integrating highly-effective active safety features into an optional accessory priced from approximately $500 to $635.

TSS will initially be available on the RAV4 and Avalon, and three additional models which will be announced later this year. LSS+ will initially be available on RX, and four additional models to be announced later this year. Both packages will provide an added layer of safety capability on top of Toyota’s existing Star Safety System, a suite of six key safety technologies that are included as standard on every new vehicle.

image courtesy of Lexus