VEHICLE CONTROL DEVICE AND VEHICLE CONTROL METHOD

To provide a vehicle control device and a vehicle control method that can appropriately set an inter-vehicle distance according to a control state.SOLUTION: A vehicle control device comprises an inter-vehicle distance determining unit 60 that determines an inter-vehicle distance and a following control unit 62 that performs control of following up a precedent vehicle 70 on the basis of the inter-vehicle distance determined by the inter-vehicle distance determining unit. The control of following-up has a first control state A and a second control state B in which a burden on a driver is lighter than in the first control state or an automation degree is higher than in the first control state, where a minimum value LBS of the inter-vehicle distance that can be determined by the inter-vehicle distance determining unit in the second control state is larger than a minimum value LAS of the inter-vehicle distance that can be determined by the inter-vehicle distance determining unit in the first control state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2 【課題】車間距離を制御状態に応じて適切に設定し得る車両制御装置及び車両制御方法を提供する。【解決手段】車間距離を決定する車間距離決定部６０と、車間距離決定部によって決定された車間距離に基づいて先行車両７０に対する追従制御を行う追従制御部６２とを有し、追従制御は、第１制御状態Ａと、運転者の負担が第１制御状態よりも軽い、又は、自動化度が第１制御状態より高い第２制御状態Ｂとを有し、第２制御状態において車間距離決定部が決定し得る車間距離の最小値ＬＢＳは、第１制御状態において車間距離決定部が決定し得る車間距離の最小値ＬＡＳより大きい。【選択図】図２