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After nine years of development, Saab's safety radar system is still too expensive for the car manufacturers. Now, CelsiusTech Electronics, today part of Saab Systems and Electronics, has abandoned its vehicle-mounted sensor aimed at the civilian automotive market.
Production of Saab's civilian flagship, the adapted cruise control (ACC) radar system, was due to start this year. Instead, the organisation has been disbanded and the project put on hold.

Development of the safety radar sensor, a collaboration between radar specialist CelsiusTech and car safety system supplier Autoliv, kicked off in spring 1992. Then, the aim was for a product to reach the market in early 2000.

Including some initial state funding, development costs are believed to have amounted to over SEK200m, although the company's information officer Guy Hörnfeldt declines to confirm this figure.

The company has been let down by its customers, the car manufacturers. They simply don't want the product. At least not at the price offered. Therefore the project was scaled down last autumn, and now the organisation has been disbanded and its spearhead engineering competence has moved on to other projects.

"The market is not ready for this technology yet. We have adjusted the speed of development to match the maturity of the market. Now, it is up to the industry to make the next move," says Guy Hörnfeldt.

Elektroniktidningen believes the main problem to be that the company has not succeeded in bringing down the price of the microwave module and does not want to risk having to deliver the radar sensor at a loss.


Gittan Cedervall

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