| General Motors announced that it will begin installing
vehicle stability enhancement systems in GMC Savana and Chevrolet Express
3500 135-inch regular wheelbase 12-passenger vans in the interim 2005
model year production cycle.
GMC's Savana 3500 and Express 3500 (right) have been enhanced with vehicle stability enhancements |
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Last October, GM was the first automaker in the segment to add StabiliTrak
as standard equipment on its Savana and Express 15-passenger 3500 155-inch
extended wheelbase vans.
Passenger van customers who require the added safety of a stability enhancement
system along with 12-passenger seating capacity will only have two choices
for 2005: the GMC Savana or the Chevrolet Express 3500 regular or extended
wheelbase full-size vans," said Ray Chess, GM vehicle line executive,
Commercial Trucks and Vans.
"Adding StabiliTrak as standard equipment to our regular wheelbase
12-passenger one ton vans underscores GM's leadership in bringing this
important safety technology to more customers. It will also take what
we believe is already a very safe vehicle and make it even safer," Chess added.
Vehicle stability enhancement systems (VSES) help drivers maintain control
of vehicles during certain difficult driving conditions such as ice, snow,
gravel, wet pavement and uneven road surfaces; as well as in emergency
lane changes or avoidance maneuvers.
GM offers a variety of different types of vehicle stability enhancement
systems across its many models. StabiliTrak, Precision Control and Active
Traction are just a few examples of these types of systems.
The StabiliTrak system on the full-size passenger vans works by recognizing
wheel skid. Sensors detect the difference between the steering wheel angle
and the direction the driver is actually turning by "reading" the steering wheel position, the amount of sideways force in play, vehicle
speed and the vehicle's response to steering wheel input.
The system then uses the brakes to enhance control of the vehicle's direction
and to help keep it on course. It automatically reduces the engine torque
and applies precise amounts of pressure to front right or left brakes
to help keep the vehicle on track. These brake and engine interventions
help realign the vehicle's actual path with that being steered by the
driver.
GM began installing VSES in passenger cars in 1997, and now has more than
2 million vehicles on the road equipped with some sort of vehicle stability
enhancement system. GM began making these systems available on full-size
SUVs (Cadillac Escalade) in 2002, and the following year added the Escalade
EXT; GMC Yukon, Yukon Denali and Yukon XL; and Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe
and Avalanche.
"It's important to understand that no system is foolproof,"
said Robert C. Lange, GM executive director, structure and safety integration.
"That is why we will continue to educate our customers on the unique
operating characteristics of full-size, extended passenger vans and that
they should be operated only by experienced drivers. We also support the
advice of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that drivers
and passengers in vans - and all other vehicles - always use safety belts.
And we remind all vehicle occupants to obey state seat-belt use and child-passenger
safety laws."
Other standard crash-avoidance features of 12- and 15-passenger Savana
and Express 3500 models include four-wheel antilock brakes for directional
stability in emergency braking situations and daytime running lamps for
improved visibility. Safety belts, driver and front passenger air bags,
front and rear crush zones and side-door beams are standard features designed
to help protect occupants in the event of a crash.
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