News.

Dubai, 23 November 2009 – The number of safety offerings are constantly increasing in today’s automobiles as driver, passenger and pedestrian safety continues to be one of the top considerations for consumers when purchasing a new vehicle. Volkswagen has traditionally made safety its top priority and is therefore renowned for its high safety standards through employing a range of harmonised technologies in its vehicles.

Volkswagen cars are progressive technological platforms with innovative assistance and driving dynamic systems. Some of the systems which distinguish Volkswagen from its competitors in the same segments are the ‘Park Assist’ feature which enables automatic backing into a parallel parking space and the new ESP system, with finer response over its control range, which further optimises crash properties.

Stefan Mecha, Managing Director of Volkswagen Middle East said: “At Volkswagen, we have a strong heritage of commitment to safety within our vehicles and are proud to offer our customers the latest technology for the safest systems. We are continuing to research and invest in finding new ways to keep our drivers and passengers safe so they can confidently enjoy the overall performance and experience of their journey, both on and off the road.”

A maximum level of safety is provided via the carefully matched interplay of body and restraint systems that ensure passenger impact is kept to a minimum in the event of an accident. ‘Seatbelt detection’ features also reduce impact to the chest and are integrated into both front seats and the two outer rear seats. Furthermore, the front airbags in combination with the belt restraint system provide optimal protection for the driver and front passenger during a potential frontal collision. The newly developed front seats and the special Whiplash Optimised Head Restraints (WOKS) are designed mainly to provide extensive protection from cervical spine injuries during a rear collision. Children’s safety is heightened out by standard Isofix anchorage for the rear seats while standard curtain airbags and side airbags integrated in the seat backrests add to the all-round safety of Volkswagen vehicles.

Distance control

‘Front Assist’ is a system that avoids frontal collisions by using a radar sensor to monitor the distance to the vehicle ahead of the car. In advance of certain situations, ‘Front Assist’ preventively places the brakes in a preconditioned state, thereby performing a stopping distance reduction function.
For further safety, the ‘Front Assist’ system can be combined with the ‘ACC Adaptive Cruise Control’. It assists the car to automatically brake and accelerate within a speed range input by the car driver beforehand.

Anti flat tyre

Other technological systems featured in Volkswagen cars include the Mobility Tire System. With the ‘Mobility Tires’, it is estimated that the value of 100,000 kilometres for every flat tyre could be increased to 500,000 kilometers, since a highly flexible rubber mixture encapsulates the penetrating object and keeps the tire sealed - also after its removal.

Safety awards

The passive safety systems in Volkswagen cars were confirmed by independent testers of New Car Assessment Program around the world. The new Golf has been put by the Euro NCAP through a series of rigorous tests, scoring five stars, the best result compared with the direct competition. Same applies to the Tiguan, which is not only one of Volkswagen’s most popular, but also one of the safest vehicles in its segment. The Tiguan was awarded the top value of five stars by the US NCAP.