The European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) recently released the best-ever score for adult occupants in its crash-test program since the start more than 10 years ago. The vehicle that set this new safety record is the Nissan compact crossover Qashqai. Autoliv Inc., a global leader in automotive safety systems, is the main supplier of the safety systems and has also assisted with the verifying performance testing. The Nissan Qashqai received almost maximum points in Euro NCAP’s strict front, side impact and pole crash tests.
“We are very proud to have participated in the development program that has driven Nissan to this successful result for the Nissan Qashqai. We are very pleased with the results of this cooperation,” said Jan Carlson, Autoliv’s president and chief executive officer. “The basis for this productive cooperation is, of course, Nissan’s own ambitions and efforts in automotive safety, which we were happy to support with our innovative safety technologies.”
Autoliv is the supplier to the Nissan Qashqai of the passenger airbag, the inflatable curtains that provide head protection in side-impact collisions, the side-impact airbags for chest protection as well as all seat belt systems. Autoliv also supplied Nissan with performance testing and assisted Nissan in the development phase.
Euro NCAP’s small-family car class has seen colorful results over the last year or so, ranging from a two-star strikethrough to some high-scoring five-star cars, but until the Qashqai no car had received a full-rounded 37 points in the adult occupant protection rating.
Euro NCAP’s front- and side-impact testing verifies the crash worthiness of the vehicle and looks for any injury that may occur to the driver or the passenger from structural deformation of the car and vehicle deceleration as a result of an accident. The pole test looks at potential injuries to the head.
