All-New Ford B-MAX Achieves Maximum 5-Star Euro NCAP Safety Rating
- All-new B-MAX is awarded highest-possible safety rating by independent crash test authority Euro NCAP
- B-MAX compact multi-activity vehicle scores 83 percent for overall protection – including a 93 percent score for adult protection
- B-MAX is the third Ford to achieve a maximum five-star rating under tougher new 2012 Euro NCAP test protocols after the Ranger pickup and Focus also achieved the rating earlier this year
COLOGNE, Germany, Aug. 29, 2012 – All-new Ford B-MAX has been awarded the highest possible five-star safety rating by independent crash test authority Euro NCAP.
The B-MAX compact multi-activity vehicle achieved an overall protection score of 83 percent after scoring 93 percent for adult protection and 84 percent for child protection.
“Safety is a fundamental Ford value and we are delighted to achieve the maximum five-star rating from Euro NCAP,” said Tom Overington, safety project manager, Ford of Europe. “The team has worked very hard on making sure B-MAX meets the safety standards our customers expect from every Ford vehicle.”
Ford subjected B-MAX to more than 5,000 computer simulated crash tests during development, no less than 40 complete crash tests and a further 100 tests which involved the car being mounted on a sled and fired into a barrier.
High strength and ultra-high strength steels form more than 58 percent of the B-MAX body and are used in brackets, called crash-catchers; these lock the ingenious Ford Easy Access Door System in place if the vehicle suffers a side-impact.
B-MAX is equipped with seven airbags and the front-end is carefully engineered for optimised pedestrian protection. It also features Ford’s Active City Stop system – a segment-first designed to help motorists avoid low speed collisions with stationary or slower moving traffic in front.
Better connected than any vehicle in its class, B-MAX features Ford’s voice-activated, in-car connectivity system, SYNC, with Emergency Assistance, designed to assist the occupants to call for help in the event of a crash.
“Only vehicles offering all-round protection can be awarded a five-star rating under Euro NCAP’s new test protocol,” said Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP secretary general. “Ford B-MAX is a great example of how this can be achieved by an innovative design, outstanding system engineering and smart technologies such as Active City Stop.”
Established in 1997 and backed by several governments, motoring, consumer and insurance organisations, Euro NCAP is the largest and most respected independent authority on crash testing in Europe.
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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 168,000 employees and about 65 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 and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com/.
Ford of Europe is responsible for producing, selling and servicing Ford brand vehicles in 51 individual markets and employs approximately 66,000 employees. In addition to Ford Motor Credit Company, Ford of Europe operations include Ford Customer Service Division and 22 manufacturing facilities, including joint ventures. The first Ford cars were shipped to Europe in 1903 – the same year Ford Motor Company was founded. European production started in 1911.