Subaru to Equip Manual Sports Car with Driver Assist Tech

The Yomiuri Shimbun

6:00 JST, June 26, 2023

Subaru Corp. will introduce its EyeSight driver assist technology to a manual transmission automobile for the first time.

Normally equipped on automatic transmission models, EyeSight will be installed on Subaru’s upgraded BRZ sports car, which is scheduled to be unveiled this autumn.

EyeSight uses cameras that capture objects in three dimensions, controls the brake to avoid collisions as well as optimizes the driving speed to maintain a constant distance from the vehicle in front.

As manual vehicles are more likely to stall than automatic ones, Subaru had not equipped them with EyeSight, which uses automatic braking. To introduce the technology to the manual BRZ, Subaru has adjusted the computer system that controls the brakes to work even when the engine stops.

For the distance maintenance function on manual cars, it will be activated when the vehicle is in second gear or higher and its speed exceeds 30 kph.

Since EyeSight was launched in 2008, more than 5.5 million vehicles have been equipped with the system.