All-New Ford Focus Achieves 5-Star ANCAP Rating

[russellw]

Melbourne, Australia, 28 June, 2011

The all-new Ford Focus has earned the maximum possible five-star safety rating from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).

The five-star safety rating for the new Focus is based on the latest European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) testing, in which Focus achieved the highest possible dynamic score for child protection in both frontal and side impact collision tests, as well as excelling in the adult and pedestrian safety categories.
ANCAP’s five-star safety rating for new Focus reaffirms the structural excellence of Ford’s global C-Car platform. The new Focus shares the same architecture as the Ford C-MAX and Grand C-MAX models available in Europe, which were both awarded five stars by Euro NCAP last year.

The new Focus, which goes on sale in Australia in August this year, is engineered to meet or exceed safety standards around the world and has been crash-tested more than 12,000 times in real and virtual worlds to ensure the best possible protection for occupants of various ages and sizes.

"We were committed from the beginning with the all-new Focus to design and engineer a vehicle that leads the way both in terms of technology and safety," said Gunnar Herrmann, Global C-Car Vehicle Line Director.
"The inherent strength of our new Focus is the structural rigidity of the body and our extensive use of high-strength steels."

Fifty-five per cent of the body shell is made of high-strength steels, of which 31 per cent is ultra-tough boron steel, more than any other Ford built to date. Boron features in the A-pillars, B-pillars, rocker panels and door reinforcement beams to create an extremely rigid, crush-resistant passenger cell.
Meanwhile, high-strength steel is used in the integrated door opening reinforcement rings and door load paths to provide excellent protection from side impacts.

New Focus also features a patented front chassis sub-frame, which de-couples during severe frontal impacts, avoiding deformation in the passenger cell foot-well area. Pedestrian protection has been boosted by the addition of a "soft" cowl design in the front body structure and Ford has also relocated the windscreen wiper system to help further reduce injury risks.

Intelligent Protection

New Focus is equipped with Ford's Intelligent Protection System restraint system that includes next-generation front air-bags for the driver and front passenger, as well as unique side air-bags complete with shoulder vents that stay open and reduce pressure for smaller occupants.
A 'horizontal stroking' steering column reduces loads on head and chest as it collapses and retracts away from the driver in high-speed frontal impacts. Both front seats are fitted with more effective retractor pretensioners, along with belt load limiters. Rear seat passengers are protected by three-point seat belts.

To check out the latest crash test results go to: www.ancap.com.au or www.euroncap.com