• All-new Ford Mondeo is awarded highest-possible safety rating by Euro NCAP

• Flagship Mondeo is the first Ford in the world to offer Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection that can automatically apply the brakes if people are detected in the road ahead

• All-new Mondeo also is first Ford in Europe to deliver segment-first Inflatable Rear Seatbelts, and offers nine airbags – including a driver-knee bolster airbag

• Body structure includes industry-first application of high strength steel and intelligent designs to improve front and side impact protection

COLOGNE, Germany, Dec. 3, 2014 – The all-new Ford Mondeo has been awarded the maximum five-star safety rating by independent crash test authority Euro NCAP.

The new Mondeo, which is currently rolling out across Europe, is the first Ford worldwide to offer Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection. The technology is designed to detect people in the road ahead – or that could cross the vehicle’s path – and automatically apply the brakes if the driver does not respond to warnings.

Also introduced for the first time in Europe is Ford’s Inflatable Rear Seatbelt technology – a segment-first for Mondeo. In the event of an accident, the seatbelt can expand to disperse crash forces across a body area five times greater than that achieved by a conventional seatbelt.

“This is the most technologically advanced Ford vehicle ever introduced in Europe. Through features like Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection, and Inflatable Rear Seatbelt, we’ve delivered safety features that provide exceptional protection for drivers, passengers and pedestrians alike,” said Ulrich Koesters, vehicle line director, Ford of Europe.

Technologies offered by the all-new Mondeo also include:

• Dynamic LED headlights, which offers the daylight-mimicking light clarity of full-LED headlamps combined with Ford’s Adaptive Front Lighting System
• Ford MyKey, which enables owners to programme a key – usually for younger drivers – that can inhibit incoming phone calls, and restrict the top speed
• Active City Stop, which is designed to help drivers avoid low speed collisions.
• SYNC 2 with Emergency Assistance, a voice-activated technology that enables drivers to keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel, and can directly connect vehicle occupants to local emergency services operators after an accident

“Euro NCAP’s five-star standard is getting higher and higher and cars now have to combine outstanding occupant crash protection with sophisticated driver assistance systems in order to make the grade. The Mondeo delivers on both counts and is amongst the first to offer pedestrian detection technology,” said Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP general secretary. “We encourage car buyers to take full advantage of the safety on offer and to prioritise safety options over others that are offered.”

The all-new Mondeo body structure features 61 per cent high strength steel, and uses an industry-first application of hydro-formed high strength steel to produce the forward window pillars and the roof rails – reducing side impact intrusion by up to 64 mm.

Further structural developments include an anti-roll bar uniquely designed to limit transmission travel in a frontal impact – minimising steering rack movement, and sill rocker panels made of martensitic boron steel for improved side impact protection.

Available as a four-door model, five-door model, and wagon, as well as the four-door Mondeo Hybrid – the first hybrid vehicle to be built and sold by Ford in Europe – the all-new Mondeo is on sale now.