Demand Rising for New Ford Focus As It Earns Top Safety Pick from IIHS and Highest Safety Rating from Euro NCAP
- The 2012 Ford Focus joins a list of 11 other Ford vehicles that have previously earned the Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
- Sales of the new Focus were up 22 percent in April compared with the same month a year ago
- Awards highlight impressive safety features of the 2012 Ford Focus including a strong body structure engineered to meet global safety standards
DEARBORN, Mich., May 26, 2011 –
Ford Motor Company could see the popularity of the 2012 Focus
increase even more as it joins the growing list of Ford vehicles to
earn a Top Safety Pick rating from the Insurance Institute for
Highway Safety.
Now, there are 12 Ford vehicles that have earned the
award.
Today’s IIHS announcement comes one day after Euro NCAP
announced the new Ford Focus has earned a maximum five-star overall
safety rating in its tests.
Both IIHS and Brussels-based Euro NCAP independently test the
safety levels of vehicles and present major safety awards and
rankings based on their findings.
Demand for the new Focus is high already as sales increased 22
percent to 17,265 in April compared with the same month a year
ago.
The 2012 Ford Focus features a strong, stiff and lightweight
steel body structure that has been engineered to meet global safety
standards.
The structure makes use of advanced high-strength steels and
innovative fabrication techniques to minimize body weight while
delivering enhanced crash performance, improved vehicle dynamics
and superior refinement. The body was rigorously designed using
state-of-the-art computer simulation tools.
Fifty-five percent of the body shell is made of high-strength
steels, of which 31 percent is ultra-tough boron steel, more than
any other Ford built to date.
“We were committed from the beginning with the 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 the new
Focus is the structural rigidity of the body and its extensive use
of high-strength steels.”
Computer simulation also played a major role in development of
the restraint system used in the 2012 Ford Focus. Ford safety
engineers in the United States and Germany crash tested the vehicle
more than 12,000 times in real and virtual simulations to prove
innovative new technologies designed to protect occupants in
crashes.
As a result, the North American version of the 2012 Ford Focus
features advanced restraint systems with innovative next-generation
airbags that provide enhanced chest protection. The new airbag uses
a reconfigured curve-shaped tether system that pulls in the lower
section to create a “pocket” to help lessen the impact
of the airbag on the driver’s chest and ribs in frontal
crashes.
Other standard safety features for the 2012 Ford Focus
include:
- AdvanceTrac® Electronic Stability Control
- SecuriLock® passive anti-theft system
- SOS Post-Crash Alert System™
- Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
With the 2012 Ford Focus on the list, the company now has 12
vehicles on the road in the U.S. to have earned a Top Safety Pick
from IIHS. To earn a Top Safety Pick, a vehicle must receive a
rating of “good” in offset frontal-, side- and
rear-impact tests and the roof strength evaluation, as well as
offer electronic stability control.
Other Ford Motor Company vehicles that have earned a Top
Safety Pick rating are:
- 2011 Ford Edge (built after February 2011)
- 2011 Ford Explorer
- 2011 Ford F-150
- 2011 Ford Fiesta (built after July 2010)
- 2011 Ford Flex
- 2011 Ford Fusion
- 2011 Ford Taurus
- 2011 Lincoln MKS
- 2011 Lincoln MKT
- 2011 Lincoln MKX (built after February 2011)
- 2011 Lincoln MKZ
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About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 166,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 166,000 employees and about 70 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.