Safety: New nano sensors for more advanced and accurate assistance systems

› Enhanced safety: new nano radar sensors on the front apron, plus rear radar sensors with increased range – Škoda first
› New in the Superb Combi estate: Turn Assist, Crossroad Assist, Collision Avoidance Assist and Exit Warning
› Improved crew protection: up to ten airbags and a new Attention and Drowsiness Assist

Mladá Boleslav, 11 March 2024 – Škoda Auto has further enhanced the safety of its flagship ICE model with a new generation of sensors and state-of-the-art assistance systems. Turn Assist, Crossroad Assist and Collision Avoidance Assist are making their debut as part of the enhanced Front Assist, while the Travel Assist, Side Assist and Trailer Assist have all seen their scope significantly expanded. If needed, Crew Protect Assist and up to ten airbags protect the occupants.

“At Škoda Technical Development, we are always looking for ways to improve our vehicles. We pay particular attention to active and passive safety. With the new nano radar sensors, we are taking assistance systems to a new level. An extended range of functions ensures even better, more precise driver support – for added safety and therefore more comfort in all driving situations.”

Johannes Neft, Škoda Auto Board Member for Technical Development

For the first time ever, Škoda is using new nano radar sensors in its all-new Superb Combi estate. Positioned in the right and left corners of the front apron, they again enhance the performance of the state-of-the-art assistance systems, such as the enhanced Front Assist or the Crossroad Assist. This assistance system alerts drivers to crossing traffic, cyclists and pedestrians when driving forward to negotiate a blind exit from a driveway or side street and even brakes automatically if required. The improved multifunction camera in the windscreen now has a larger field of vision. Its images are also used by the latest version of the Turn Assist. It reacts with a warning and, if necessary, automatically activates the brakes if there is a vehicle approaching when turning in the face of oncoming traffic at a junction. The Front Assist, which now also includes Predictive Cyclist Protection, accesses images from the new camera. The nano radar sensors in the rear apron increase the range of the Side Assist, which now detects vehicles approaching from up to 90 metres behind instead of the previous 70 metres and warns of dangerous lane changes. The Exit Warning alerts drivers to traffic approaching from behind before a door is opened. It covers a range of 35 metres and an angle of 120 degrees. The new Swerve Support is active at speeds between 30 and 140 km/h to help prevent car-to-car collisions and at 30 to 85 km/h to avoid accidents involving pedestrians or cyclists. It automatically increases the steering angle when it detects that the driver’s steering response has come too late or is insufficient to avoid a collision.

With the new Intelligent Park Assist, the Superb Combi estate can park automatically in perpendicular and parallel parking spaces. The function now controls not just the steering but the speed as well. The vehicle also stops on its own if the system recognises an obstacle. Further functions will be added to the Intelligent Park Assist at a later date. Remote Trained Parking will enable drivers to initiate a previously performed and saved parking manoeuvre from outside the vehicle via the MyŠkoda app on their smartphone. With Remote Parking, they can use the MyŠkoda app on their mobile phone within a four-metre range from the vehicle. This feature enables them to automatically steer the Superb Combi estate into a row of vehicles parked parallel or perpendicular to the road and again to exit such a parking space.

The Travel Assist offers improved visual displays of other vehicles detected nearby in the Virtual Cockpit. The Adaptive Lane Assist now also works on unmarked roads, while Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), in conjunction with a navigation system, also anticipates bends, junctions and roundabouts. The new Attention and Drowsiness Assist replaces the previous Driver Alert system. It monitors driver behaviour, assesses the driver’s potential level of fatigue and triggers visual and acoustic warnings in the Virtual Cockpit if necessary. In addition to data from the power steering, the new system now also accesses information from various vehicle control units, including Lane Assist, and detects deviations from normal steering behaviour at speeds over 10 km/h. In the event of an accident, up to ten airbags protect the occupants. Driver and front passenger airbags, a knee airbag for the driver, side airbags on the front seats, head airbags and, for the first time in this model series, a central airbag between the front seats are fitted as standard. Rear side airbags are available as an option.