The overall packages of
occupant, child and pedestrian
protection and the safety
assistance systems installed in
the up! and the new generation
Beetle have been evaluated by
the European consumer protection
organisation, Euro NCAP
(European New Car Assessment
Programme), and the results are
first-rate: five stars for both
new Volkswagen cars.
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In addition, the up! received Euro NCAP’s
Advanced Award for the car’s innovative City Emergency Braking function.
This positions the new Volkswagen ahead of its direct competitors,
because no vehicle in its class has earned five stars and the Advanced
Award before. So, the Volkswagen up! is ‘Best in class’ when it comes
to safety. |
In
occupant protection, both
vehicles attained top results in
all seat positions and
regardless of the sizes of the
driver and front passenger.
Factored into the rating were
results of frontal and side
impact tests, a pole side impact
test and what is known as a
whiplash test – which determines
loads to the cervical spine of
the neck. It is not only the
large vehicles that are safe.
Both small Volkswagen cars
achieved excellent child
protection results with dummies
representing 18 month and
three-year old children.
The up! and Beetle also attained
impressive results in the area
of safety equipment. Here, Euro
NCAP rated the seatbelt
reminders for all seats and use
of a vehicle dynamic control
system (ESP) as especially
positive. Euro NCAP is
increasingly evaluating active
safety assist systems in
vehicles. Along with its five
star rating, this also led to
the up! receiving the Advanced
Award for its City Emergency
Braking function.
The optional City Emergency
Braking is automatically active
at speeds between five and 30
km/h, and it utilises a laser
sensor (integrated in the upper
part of the windscreen) to scan
an area of up to 10 metres in
front of the up! and detect the
risk of an impending collision.
If a collision is about to
occur with a vehicle moving in
the driving direction or with a
stationary object without the
driver reacting, first the
braking system is
preconditioned, and in a second
stage the hydraulic brake
assistant is switched to a more
sensitive level. Depending on
the situation, City Emergency
Braking might then initiate hard
braking to a stop as a third
stage or support the driver with
full braking power if brake
pedal pressure is insufficient.
Depending on the vehicle’s
speed and the particular
situation, the emergency braking
function with its automatic
brake intervention can reduce
the severity of accidents and in
some cases avoid a collision
altogether.
Euro NCAP is a manufacturer
independent international crash
test programme. The full test
results can be viewed at
www.euroncap.com. After the
Golf, Golf Cabriolet, Jetta,
Passat, Polo, Scirocco, Sharan
and Tiguan, the up! and Beetle
are the ninth and tenth vehicles
from Volkswagen to earn a top
‘Five Star’ rating from Euro
NCAP. This is another sign that
Volkswagen is promoting vehicle
safety as a top priority, and of
course for all sizes of
vehicles. |
