Honda Cars India, which has become the sole OEM in the country to offer Advanced Driver Assistance Systems or ADAS features across its three-vehicle portfolio including the Honda City, Elevate and Amaze, has committed to move towards a collision-free society. With the launch of the third-generation Honda Amaze compact sedan in December 2024, the Japanese carmaker democratised this life-saving safety technology that is increasingly being embraced by the Indian passenger vehicle buyer.

Marketed under its globally-renowned brand – Honda Sensing – the Level-2 ADAS package is designed to enhance safety and driving convenience by offering features such as adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and collision mitigation braking (CMBS) – also popularly known as autonomous emergency braking – across ADAS suites offered by various OEMs.

ADAS warnings and indications displayed on the driver instrument cluster. Pictured here is the Elevate's MID. While white icons depict system readiness, green denotes 'active' status, whereas amber notifies about system unavailability due to external conditions like dense fog or heavy rain.

Honda Sensing suite's Level-2 ADAS features, including Lane-Keep Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control, and Collision Mitigation Braking System ready to function almost instantly after the vehicle is switched on.

Honda Sensing, which represents the Japanese automaker’s commitment towards safer and more intelligent mobility, is a vision-based ADAS system that relies on a high-resolution monocular camera mounted behind the front windshield. This camera continuously scans the road ahead, detecting vehicles, pedestrians, and other obstacles to optimise the driver’s response time and enhance road safety.

Among the key enablers of this system is French Tier-1 supplier Valeo, which provides this front-windshield-mounted camera module – the prime component that empowers Honda Sensing to deliver its advanced functionalities. Globally, Valeo has been a supplier of advanced safety systems on Honda’s models, and in 2021, the French major won the Honda Supplier Award for equipping the Honda Legend with world’s first Level-3 automated driving system authorised for commercial use. The system featured five Valeo Scala 3D LiDARs and two front cameras.

VALEO'S COST-EFFECTIVE ADAS SOLUTION
On Honda’s offerings in India, Valeo’s high-resolution front-mounted camera module serves as the backbone of Honda Sensing by capturing and processing real-time data to enable accurate object recognition, lane detection, and predictive braking responses.

Honda uses Valeo’s Smart Front Camera all its three models on sale in India: the Amaze and City sedans, and the Elevate midsize SUV. 

Doing duty in the three models currently on sale in Honda’s India portfolio is Valeo’s Smart Front Camera, which, with its Smart Cam Entry module offers a cost-effective and scalable front camera-based one-box ADAS solution. The wide-angle camera with its 120-degree field of view and sophisticated software algorithms embedded within the camera module ensure precise monitoring of the surroundings, making Honda Sensing constantly work in the background. The camera is powered by computer vision technology from MobilEye, and leverages Infineon’s Aurix TC3x7 family to derive its host microcontroller.

However, while with a sole camera-based integrated setup, the system significantly reduces cost by eliminating other sensors such as radars and LiDARs, it limits the technology’s performance and efficacy in low-light conditions such as those encountered while driving through a tunnel, or under heavy fog and rain. The performance is also hindered if the camera’s view is obstructed by dirt, mud, or any accessory or sticker that blocks its view outside.

KEY HONDA SENSING ADAS FEATURES
Honda’s ADAS technology includes a host of features that collectively provide a partially-autonomous driving experience, mitigating risks and reducing driver fatigue, particularly on long journeys. The Honda Sensing suite on the Elevate, City and Amaze includes several active safety features that operate through real-time data analysis from the Valeo-supplied camera. Some of the prominent Level-2 ADAS functionalities in these cars include:

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC): A significant aspect of Honda Sensing is its Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), which enhances highway driving by maintaining a set speed while automatically adjusting to the speed of the vehicle ahead. The system ensures a safe following distance by modulating acceleration and braking as per traffic conditions. This feature is particularly useful in India’s ever-evolving road scenarios, offering convenience in both stop-and-go traffic and high-speed highway cruising. The ACC in Honda Sensing can only be engaged when the vehicle speed is above 25kph.

Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS): A crucial safety component of Honda Sensing, the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) proactively prevents or reduces the severity of frontal collisions. Using the camera’s inputs, the system detects an impending crash and warns the driver through visual and audible alerts on the instrument cluster. The CMBS turns on whenever the engine is started, and starts monitoring the road when the vehicle speed crosses 5kph to detect vehicles, pedestrians as well as moving bicycles.

If the driver fails to react, CMBS automatically applies the brakes to minimise impact or avoid the collision altogether. This technology is especially beneficial in urban environments, particularly when the vehicle speed is between 5kph to 30kph, and where sudden braking due to erratic traffic movements is common.

Road Departure Mitigation System (RDM): Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) system, commonly known as lane-departure warning, monitors lane markings on the road. If the vehicle veers off without the use of turn signals, the system provides corrective steering input and, in extreme cases, applies braking force to prevent the vehicle from straying off the road. In a country where lane discipline is often inconsistent, RDM can significantly improve driving stability and safety. The RDM activates when the vehicle is traveling in the range of 72kph to 180kph.

Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS): The Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS) complements RDM by actively keeping the vehicle centred within its lane. By continuously analysing road markings, LKAS makes subtle steering adjustments to ensure the car stays within the lane without excessive driver intervention. This feature is particularly effective during long-distance highway driving, reducing driver fatigue and enhancing vehicle stability.

Auto high-beam: Another vital feature within the Honda Sensing suite is the auto high-beam wherein the front wide-angle camera detects the light sources ahead of the vehicle such as the lights of a preceding or oncoming vehicle, or street lights. When driving at night, the system automatically switches the headlights between low beam and high beam depending on the situation while ensuring that the beam is dipped when there is oncoming traffic.

These are some of the main features on offer with Honda’s camera-enabled ADAS suite. While ADAS is a continuously evolving technology that is increasingly making its way into modern cars, trucks, and other multi-wheeled vehicles, India is likely to see a faster adoption of the technology, with as much as 50% penetration likely by 2030. According to industry experts, a regulatory push will give a fillip to ADAS adoption, thus, driving costs further down for mass implementation.

Moreover, while the primary goal of ADAS is to enhance road safety, the technology is also often seen getting misused with several users neglecting the requirement of continuous driver attentiveness. While Level-2 systems may offer the convenience of the vehicle driving, maintaining a lane, and braking on its own, the technology is still what can be termed as semi-autonomous driving. Hence, user awareness is critical to drive the safe and effective usage of ADAS in India.