AFF Technical Resources - Ford Fiesta a Global Safety Winner for Crash Technologies

February 17, 2011

*Ford Fiesta adds five-star safety rating in China to similar maximum ratings in Europe, Australia and New Zealand

* In North America, the 2011 Ford Fiesta earned a Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety – the first light car to do so under the new test standards

* More than 50 per cent of the Fiesta body structure is made from ultra-high-strength steel

The Ford Fiesta's safety reputation continues to grow after recently earning a five-star crash test rating in China.

The latest crash result makes it one of the first cars in its segment to earn top crash test ratings in each of the world's largest auto markets that perform such testing.

In Australia the Fiesta's five-star crash rating is based on data provided by the Euro-NCAP program.

"Ford is committed to safety, including our efforts to deliver top crash test ratings that customers look to when choosing new vehicles," Ford's group vice president of Sustainability, Environment and Safety, Sue Cischke, said.

"Fiesta is the latest example of that safety commitment, and shows that a small, fuel-efficient car can deliver big safety."

Testing agencies in the United States, China, Europe, Australia and New Zealand rate the Ford Fiesta at the top of the list for crash ratings.

Fiesta’s latest maximum five-star safety rating was awarded by the China Automotive Technology and Research Centre, which released the ratings from its China New Car Assessment Program, or C-NCAP. This follows maximum five-star ratings from Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

The 2011 Ford Fiesta, the only car in its segment to earn a Top Safety Pick from the US Insurance Institute for Highway Safety under its new test standards, continues to earn recognition in major global markets for its safety performance and rating in independent third-party testing.

Driver, passenger quality found throughout
Beneath Fiesta's stylish exterior is a structure crafted from high-strength steels engineered to preserve quality and enhance driver and passenger safety.

More than 50 per cent of Fiesta's body structure is made from ultra-high-strength steel, and the extensive use of high-strength, lightweight boron steel helps protect critical occupant safety zones.

The safety features continue inside.

Fiesta offers a driver's knee airbag – standard on the LX, Zetec and ECOnetic in Australia and available as an optional safety pack in the CL. In Australia the LX, Zetec and ECOnetic achieve a five-star result while the CL, with the optional safety pack, is also a five-star car.

The driver's knee air-bag was developed to help reduce lower-leg injuries in the event of a frontal collision and to work together with other safety features.

The knee air-bag joins a suite of Fiesta safety features that include two-stage, dual front air-bags, front side-thorax air-bags and side curtain air-bags.

A global effort
Ford's global safety engineers worked together to prepare the Fiesta to meet stringent US crash protection requirements by leveraging Ford of Europe's small car expertise as well as an array of virtual, actual and hydraulic sled-simulated crash tests.

"The global safety ratings provide another proof point that the all-new Fiesta is redefining what a small car can be," Ford's safety, NVH and durability manager, Matt Niesluchowski, said.

"The new Fiesta brings outstanding driving dynamics and fuel economy, high levels of connectivity and safety leadership on a worldwide scale."

Source: Ford Media