Mack Trucks says the camera- and radar-based driving assistance solution helps mitigate the potential for accidents, improving highway safety for travelers on the roadway.
Now in its second generation, Bendix Wingman Fusion offers collision mitigation, adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning. The enhanced version improves Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), lane-keeping support, multi-lane continuation of AEB and driver awareness support, the company says.
“Mack is a strong believer in implementing technology to increase safety on our highways,” says Roy Horton, Mack Trucks director of product strategy. “The enhanced version of Bendix Wingman Fusion offers additional support, helping the driver effectively maneuver down the road when unforeseen events could occur.”
According to Bendix, the improved Wingman Fusion system offers audible warnings and AEB to help maintain a safe following distance from the vehicle in front of the truck. AEB in the new Wingman Fusion system can now reduce traveling speeds from up to 50 mph instead of 35 mph being the limit. Using a radar sensor inset into the front bumper to detect the angle, distance and speed of the front object, along with a windshield-mounted camera, the system monitors large metallic objects and can detect them from a range of 22 degrees wide and about 500 feet in front of the truck.
“Thanks to the combination of radar and camera sensors, Wingman Fusion is very effective in conditions that affect visibility, such as rain, smoke, fog or snow,” Horton says. “The camera also helps when objects are not easily identified or are not detected by radar, providing a second level of safety.”
Also with Bendix Wingman Fusion, audible and visual warnings are enacted if a stationary metallic object is detected ahead. Brakes will be applied if the truck’s speed is above 15 mph, whether or not cruise control is engaged. The driver will be notified up to 3.5 seconds before impact, and if the driver doesn’t take action, brakes will engage.
New multi-lane continuation of AEB enables the driver to change to an adjacent lane to avoid a potential forward collision, and as long as AEB is active, the system will apply the brakes if another vehicle is detected, the company says.
Lane departure assistance alerts the driver during unintentional lane deviation. The enhanced version continues with audible warnings if the driver does not take corrective action.
Mack in Black
Mack Trucks’ limited edition Mack Black Anthem is a special run of 500 Mack Anthem models featuring a blacked-out exterior trim package and additional interior features.
“The limited edition Mack Black Anthem screams power and performance like no other truck on the highway,” says Jonathan Randall, Mack Trucks senior vice president, North American sales and marketing. “It’s a badass looking truck that puts our customers’ businesses in the black, thanks to the Anthem’s incredible fuel efficiency, together with our industry-leading uptime solutions and ever-strengthening Mack dealer support network.”
In developing the Mack Black Anthem, designers started with a 70-in. stand-up sleeper model painted Mack Black and spec’d with Mack’s black exterior trim package. They then added a number of styling features, including a black Mack wordmark across the grille. Cab steps and deck plates are powder-coated in black, and flat black trim stripes are added to the air intakes on each side of the hood. Black mudflap brackets, black aluminum fuel tanks, Alcoa Durablack aluminum wheels and a limited edition Anthem doorplate add to the distinctive look.
Completing the exterior transformation of the Mack Black Anthem is a black Mack Bulldog ornament on the hood.
“We showed a blacked-out concept at the launch of the Anthem in 2017 and received incredible feedback from drivers,” says Roy Horton, Mack Trucks director of product strategy. “We took their feedback, combined the unique exterior treatments with special interior features and created the Mack Black Anthem you see today.”
The Mack Black Anthem interior begins with a blacked-out version of Mack’s Ultra interior trim level and adds special black wood accents to the dash and door panels, along with black-painted gauge bezels in the instrument cluster. The black leather-wrapped steering wheel receives black spokes and gray stitching. The Sears Seating-developed seats are covered in black ultra-leather in a unique diamond-stitched pattern and also include an embroidered black Mack Bulldog logo on the headrest. The same diamond-stitched ultra-leather is also found on each door panel, as well as the sleeper cab’s side and rear wall trims. A limited edition Anthem dash plate is included as well, the company says.
