Goodbye Blind Spot: Opel Combo Cargo with New Camera System 07.08.2019: All-round safety: Opel Surround Rear Vision provides complete visibility Accident prevention: pedestrians and cyclists in full view during right turns

    All-round safety: Opel Surround Rear Vision provides complete visibility

    Accident prevention: pedestrians and cyclists in full view during right turns

    Cost-saving: assistants like Flank Guard and Park Assist protect against dents

 


The Opel Combo Cargo is the ideal city transporter – agile, economical, comfortable and equipped with ultra-modern assistance systems. Now the Combo is enhanced with another feature that makes it even safer. Surround Rear Vision supports the driver during daily operation in dense urban traffic.



The innovative system on the “International Van of the Year 2019“ improves visibility to the rear and in the area of the so-called blind spot on the passenger side. The camera system is a big help in preventing potential accidents with cyclists and pedestrians when making a right turn.



Particularly in closed panel vans, when making a right turn the driver often has problems detecting pedestrians or bicyclists who want to cross the street. A safe look over the shoulder like in a passenger car is not possible in such vans. Unfortunately this often results in collisions in hectic urban traffic, especially between light commercial vehicles or trucks and other road users.



According to studies conducted by the Unfallforschung der Versicherer (German Insurers Accident Research), around 660 injured cyclists per year on German roads are the result of collisions with trucks alone – many of which occur when these vehicles are making a turn.



This does not even include collisions with small vans or passenger cars. With Surround Rear Vision the Opel Combo Cargo now offers an effective way to prevent such a dangerous situation from occurring in the first place. The camera system also shows the driver objects approaching the vehicle from behind and on the side. With Surround Rear Vision, the blind spot loses its menace.





Safe manoeuvring and turning: New camera system for all-round visibility



The Surround Rear Vision safety feature, available from €350 (RRP incl. VAT in Germany), consists of two cameras that provide several views to the rear and to the side. A camera mounted above the rear doors overlooks the area behind the vehicle and displays it on a separate five-inch screen, for example, when parking.



 The image can be switched between a close rear view, i.e. the usual rear view camera display, and a wider rear view. The latter not only works when reverse gear is engaged, but also during straight-ahead driving, when the camera also displays an area of four to over 30 metres behind the Combo Cargo on the separate monitor.



The second camera under the passenger side exterior mirror of the Combo Cargo improves the all-round view – and thus the safety of all road users. It can easily be switched on by tapping the screen with a finger and shows the passenger side view to the rear on the monitor.




The driver can then see at a glance whether cyclists or pedestrians are in what is typically the blind spot. This allows the driver to safely turn right or to wait until the person has safely passed the Combo‘s side, preventing injury to people and damage to property.





No more expensive bumps and scratches: Flank Guard, Park Assist and co.



With many other assistance systems, the Opel Combo Cargo makes driving, manoeuvring and transporting passengers or objects easier, safer and more comfortable. Park Assist for front and rear makes parking even more relaxed. And the sensor-based Flank Guard supports the driver while manoeuvring at low speeds.




It gives a warning when there is a risk that a flank of the car will collide with an obstacle (pillars, barriers, walls, etc.) thus reducing the risk of annoying and expensive bumps and scratches. The visual information is reinforced by audible warning signals, which increase in frequency the closer the vehicle gets to an obstacle.



Additional top technologies that are exceptional for this vehicle segment are available as options. The Combo Cargo offer ranges from Automatic Cruise Control, Forward Collision Alert with pedestrian detection and Automatic Emergency Braking1 to Driver Drowsiness Alert, Head-Up display and the IntelliGrip adaptive traction control system with five modes. The electronic traction aid provides optimum power transmission even on mud, sand and snow, ensuring stable driving performance on any surface.
 



[1] Works automatically above 5 km/h and below 85 km/h. From 0 to 30 km/h the deceleration metric to reduce the impact speed of the collision is 0.9g. From 30 to 85 km/h the system brakes to the speed by a maximum of 22 km/h. After this threshold, the driver needs to brake himself to reduce the speed even further.

 




Martin Golka- photos Opel