All new Ford Focus achieves maximum 5-star safety rating

The all-new Ford Focus has been awarded the maximum 5-star safety rating by independent crash test authority Euro NCAP – one of the first vehicles to be awarded the highest rating under new, more stringent Euro NCAP testing protocols.

Focus delivers sophisticated features designed to help prevent or mitigate the impact of an accident, including Ford’s Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection – commended by Euro NCAP – which can detect people in or near the road ahead, or who may cross the vehicle’s path. The system automatically applies the brakes if it detects a potential collision and the driver does not respond to warnings; can now also detect cyclists; and functions in the dark using light from the headlamps.

Euro NCAP awarded high scores to Focus for both adult and child occupant protection – supported by a 40 per cent increase in front crash load capability from Ford’s all-new C2 architecture, and a body structure comprising 33 per cent ultra-high strength and press-hardened boron steels.

Focus also achieved maximum scores in tests designed to replicate car-to-car side impacts. The first all-new Focus vehicles are now on their way to customers in Europe.

“Think back to when you took your driving test, and how hard you had to concentrate to be safe on the road. Driving hasn’t become any less demanding – we just become more accustomed to pressure. Technologies like Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection will reduce the demand on drivers, helping them focus their attention and be less stressed, and more confident, at the wheel,” said Helmut Reder, Ford global vehicle line director C-car.

More comfortable, less demanding and safer

The all-new Ford Focus introduces a wider range of advanced driver assistance features than any Ford vehicle before, enabled by three radars, two cameras and 12 ultrasonic sensors. These include:

• Adaptive Cruise Control now enhanced with Stop & Go, Speed Sign Recognition and Lane-Centring for effortlessly negotiating stop-start traffic, and supported by Lane Keeping Aid and Intelligent Speed Limiter technologies commended by Euro NCAP
• Ford’s Adaptive Front Lighting System with new camera-based Predictive curve light and Sign-based light that pre-adjust headlamp patterns for improved visibility by monitoring bends in the road and – for the first time in the industry – road signs
• Evasive Steering Assist, which uses radar and camera to detect slower-moving and stationary vehicles ahead and provides steering support to enable drivers to manoeuvre around a vehicle if a collision is imminent
• Wrong Way Alert, first available for customers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, which uses the windscreen mounted camera and information from the car’s navigation system to provide drivers with audible and visual warnings when driving through two “No Entry” signs on a motorway ramp

Should an accident occur, new Post-Collision Braking technology helps to reduce the impact of a potential secondary collision by automatically applying moderate brake pressure when an initial collision event is detected. Slowing the vehicle can potentially lessen injury to occupants and further damage to the vehicle.

In addition, Ford’s first Head-up display to be offered in Europe helps drivers focus their attention on the road ahead, while a Rear wide-view camera offers a 180-degree view to the rear of the vehicle for improved visibility when reversing from parking spaces or driveways.

Ford’s Blind Spot Information System with Cross Traffic Alert warns drivers reversing out of a parking space of vehicles that may soon be crossing behind them, and can for the first time now apply the brakes to avoid or mitigate the effects of collisions if drivers do not respond to warnings.

The all-new Focus is on sale across Europe now in five-door hatchback, wagon and in selected markets four-door body styles, offered in a comprehensive model line-up that includes the stylish Focus Trend and Titanium, sporty Focus ST-Line, and the upscale Focus Vignale. The first Focus Active crossover will be available later this year.

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