ROLLE, 27 NOVEMBER – Infiniti’s all-new Q50 sports saloon has been awarded the maximum safety rating from independent crash test consortium EuroNCAP, it was confirmed today on the eve of the car’s pan-European launch.
The Infiniti Q50 earned its five-star ranking with scores of 86 per cent for driver/passenger protection and 85 per cent for child protection. The Q50 2.2d Premium model tested also fared well in the Safety Assist category, while EuroNCAP found the standard ‘active’ bonnet effective in helping safeguard pedestrians.
“Every Infiniti is designed from the start to offer the maximum protection to driver, passengers and other road users in every situation,” said Infiniti Europe Vice President Fintan Knight. In 2009 the Infiniti FX became the first-ever Infiniti to be subjected to EuroNCAP’s testing regime. It also scored the maximum five stars.
As well as the most advanced deformation zones, every Infiniti Q50 includes safety-oriented features such as:
- Seat belt reminder system for all seats
- Speed limiter
- Active pop-up bonnet
- Electronic Stability Control
- Active Trace Control
- LED fog lights front and rear
- Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
- Hill start assist
- Six airbags
- Rear view camera and front and rear parking sensors
Fintan Knight added: “While the five-star ranking in the crash test is testament to the Q50’s design and construction, Infiniti believes avoiding an accident in the first place is even more important. Today’s drivers need all the help they can get to stay relaxed, comfortable and safe behind the wheel which is why the Q50 is additionally available with many innovative new safety systems.”
The Q50 line-up includes (depending on the model) several world- first technologies including Direct Adaptive Steering (DAS), an electronic by-wire system that eliminates vibration and ‘tug’ at the steering wheel in adverse conditions, such as over unmade roads. Also available is Active Lane Control to ‘magnetize’ the car to within its lane, reducing the need for continuous steering corrections and helping reduce tiredness on long motorway journeys.
Other advanced systems available (depending on model) offer a helping hand in situations such as:
- Reversing (Back-up Collision Intervention). Detects moving vehicles and objects behind the car when reverse gear is selected, warning the driver with visual and audible alerts. If necessary the system can autonomously engage the brakes to avoid a collision.
- Drifting out of lane (Lane Departure Warning and Lane Departure Prevention). Industry-first system senses unintended lane drift and assists the driver in guiding the vehicle back to the centre of its lane.
- Moving into the path of another vehicle (Blind Spot Intervention and Blind Spot Warning). World-first technology aids the driver in avoiding vehicles concealed in the blind-spot area during lane-change manoeuvres.
- Motorway hold-ups (Predictive Forward Collision Warning). Another world-first for Infiniti, PFCW warns the driver of hazards which lie beyond the driver’s field of view – seeing past not just the car in front but two cars ahead.
- Rapid deceleration (Forward Emergency Braking). If sudden braking is required to avoid a collision, the system will first warn the driver and then autonomously push back on the accelerator and apply partial braking to assist the driver in slowing down.
- Low-speed manoeuvring in busy areas (Around View Monitor with Moving Object Detection). Infiniti’s world-first real-time camera system provides a virtual 360 degree view of the environment around the car, with visual and audible warnings of hazards.
Fintan Knight added: “Infiniti leads the way in introducing new safety technologies and the Q50 is available with more of them than ever before. As our new-generation standard bearer the Q50 shows just how committed we are to road safety and to keeping the brand in the forefront of safety in the future.”
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