Ford heralds Mustang's world-first glovebox airbag
Weight-saving passenger knee airbag mounted inside Mustang's glovebox lid could have other applicationsFord says the world-first passenger knee airbag mounted inside the glovebox of its upcoming Mustang could lead to other innovative new weight-saving applications.
The technology was detailed overnight in new images and a video released by Ford of Europe in the lead-up to the European release of the new Mustang, which arrives in Australia in December.
Ford says the Mustang's lightweight plastic passenger knee bag, which is integrated into the car's glovebox lid, differs from a conventional dashboard-mounted fabric knee bag in a number of key areas.
The design, which has so far been granted 23 patents, measures 460mm long and 280mm wide and takes up 75 per cent less space than conventional passenger knee bags, resulting in more leg room for front passengers.
Second, Ford says its use of an injection-moulded plastic bladder – rather than a textile fabric bag – makes it 65 per cent lighter than a traditional knee airbag.
At the same time, the inflatable plastic bag wedged between the inner and outer layers of the glovebox lid is claimed to offer "comparable protection", since it inflates to full capacity in 20 milliseconds when the car senses a collision and a tiny gas inflator hidden inside the glovebox lid inflates it.
"This is a new way of thinking about airbags. We went back to the drawing board and in the course of a year went through hundreds of prototypes to get it just right," said Sean West, Ford's restraints manager.
"Our glovebox airbag opens up a whole new world of possibilities for injection-moulded plastic airbags. The glovebox airbag could be just the beginning. With this design we were able to combine the functions of two separate parts into one single part to save on space, weight and components; and move the instrument panel further forward, ensuring there was more room for the front passenger."
Along with the usual array of conventional airbags, the ground-breaking knee bag will come standard in all versions of the first factory right-hand drive Mustang in more than 50 years of production.
It goes on sale in December in Australia, where prices will range from $44,990 for the four-cylinder Fastback EcoBoost coupe manual to $63,990 for the V8-powered Convertible GT auto.
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
If the price does not contain the notation that it is "Drive Away", the price may not include additional costs, such as stamp duty and other government charges.
