DETROIT -- Automakers are extending high-tech safety features to smaller and mid-range vehicles, a move prompted by demand and federal safety regulations.

At the North American International Auto Show this week, automakers unveiled a host of advanced safety features.

Ford Motor Co. unveiled its 2010 Taurus, announcing it is the first Ford vehicle to have a forward collision warning system -- a feature that alerts drivers to a potential crash and charges the brakes to respond more quickly. The system also engages an electronic brake assist to help the car stop sooner.

The Taurus also got adaptive cruise control allowing a driver to set the vehicle's cruising speed while using radar technology to monitor traffic up to 600 feet ahead. That feature was introduced last year on the Lincoln MKS. Adaptive cruise control is on the new MKT this year as well.

The collision warning system uses a radar sensor to detect moving vehicles ahead and provides a visual "heads-up" warning signal transmitted across the base of the windshield and an audible warning when slower moving traffic is detected ahead. Ford is also introducing blind spot detection on the Fusion, Mercury Milan, and Lincoln MKT and MKS, including a cross-traffic alert to warn drivers as they drive out of a parking spot.

Jim Buczkowski, director of Ford's electrical engineering group, said the company was "trying to focus on technologies that are affordable for the masses."

Toyota Motor Corp. announced it is offering advanced safety features on its 2010 Toyota Prius that were once only offered on its luxury Lexus brand. It is offering a radar cruise control system that includes lane-departure warnings and a pre-collision system, which tightens seatbelts and applies the brakes when the car senses an imminent crash.

Cindy Knight, a Toyota spokeswoman, said the company debuts its new technologies in its Lexus division. "As they become more affordable and appealing to the mainstream they are added to the mainline brand," she said.

Both Toyota and Ford are rolling out systems similar to GM's OnStar -- to alert emergency personnel in the event of an accident. General Motors Corp.'s 2010 Cadillac SRX has an adaptive forward lighting system that swivels the headlamps in sync with the vehicle's steering, one of several vehicles unveiled at the show to have upgraded lighting. The 2010 Buick LaCrosse offers a blind spot technology called "Side Blind Zone alert" that notifies the driver if a vehicle in adjacent lanes is traveling in the driver's blind spot.

Adrian Lund, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, said the announcements showed the growing prominence of safety among buyers' concerns. "Now the safety advocates are trying to catch up with the manufacturers," Lund said, noting that the jury is still out on the effectiveness of many crash avoidance technologies.

Manufactures recognize that safety "is a key selling point." He said that starting in late 2010, automakers will have to disclose on window stickers whether they have lane-departure or collision warning systems as part of the government's new car assessment program.

David Kelly, acting director of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said the move from once luxury-only technologies is expected.

"It's the natural course of technologies making their way down the fleet," he said. "New technology -- especially safety -- gets introduced at a higher-end until they can figure out what the demand is."

BMW AG's new 2009 Mini Cooper is designed to meet future safety regulations, including pedestrian safety.

Daimler AG CEO Dieter Zetsche said its new E-class sedans will have a standard system to detect drowsiness, with audible and visual warnings, along with lane-departure and radar-assisted braking.

Zetsche said Saturday the system to prevent falling asleep at the wheel "is the next best thing to handing the driver an espresso" and noted that a symbol in the shape of a small coffee cup lights up on the instrumental panel if the system is activated.

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