Police truck, ASIMO, Shark Week
A truck designed for police work, a social media campaign to support a children's hospital, a Shark Week partnership, and new driver assistance technology were among the items promoted by automakers recently.
• Ford has introduced the F-150 Police Responder, which it says is the first pickup truck rated for police pursuits. The truck can travel up to 100 miles per hour and is also designed for all-terrain driving, carrying heavy payloads, and towing. Ford says the Police Responder offers more capability for law enforcement agencies that monitor rural areas, including border patrol and fish and game authorities. The automaker has introduced a number of police vehicles, including the first pursuit-rated police hybrid and a Transit van built to transport prisoners.
• Honda is inviting people to take a look at its robotics work to help support the Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. The automaker's social media accounts have posted a video of patients at the hospital interacting with its ASIMO humanoid robot, and has pledged to donate $1 for every time the video is liked or shared. Honda says it will give up to $50,000 as part of this campaign, which supports the Honda Center for Gait Analysis and Mobility Enhancement at the hospital. This center aims to help children who suffer from mobility limitations.
• As part of its partnership with the Discovery Channel's Shark Week programming, Volkswagen is taking a look at ancient oceans where prehistoric sharks once swam. The automaker's "Land of Sharks" video campaign showcases its Atlas SUV as a family visits an archaeological site, research lab, and other locations. The campaign also adds an underwater element to Google Street View, allowing visitors to explore sharks that may have swum in their neighborhood 4.5 million years ago.
• Nissan has revealed its new ProPILOT Assist technology, which it describes as one step in its efforts to create vehicles that produce no emissions and result in no fatalities. The system uses a camera, radar, sensors, and electronic control module to keep the vehicle centered in a lane, maintain speed and distance from other vehicles, and navigate stop-and-go traffic. Nissan says the ProPILOT Assist technology is intended for use on single lane highways, although it hopes to extend it to multilane highways and city driving within four years. The system requires drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel and is not available when the windshield wipers are activated in certain settings.