Hyundai Puts More Vehicles With Standard Electronic Stability on the Road Than Audi, BMW, Infiniti, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche or Volvo
Electronic Stability Control is Standard Safety Equipment on 70 Percent of Hyundai Vehicles, More Than Any Other Popular Brand
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., June 15 --
Hyundai continues to demonstrate its commitment to life-saving Electronic Stability Control (ESC) by making it standard on more of its sales volume than any luxury brand.
Hyundai expects to sell more than 350,000 ESC-equipped vehicles in the 2007 model year -- more than Audi, BMW, Infiniti, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche or Volvo.
Proving that ESC does not require paying premium prices,
Hyundai offers this sophisticated safety technology as standard equipment on five vehicle lines for the 2007 model year:
Sonata,
Tucson,
Santa Fe,
Entourage, and
Azera -- all of which have starting prices between $18,000 and $25,000. All told, 70 percent of
Hyundai sales volume in the 2007 model year will be comprised of vehicles with standard Electronic Stability Control, a higher standard fitment rate by far than that achieved by any non-luxury brand, including Toyota, Honda, Ford, Chevrolet or VW.
"Research universally substantiates that Electronic Stability Control is an invaluable life-saving technology, and
Hyundai is proud to lead all popular automotive brands in providing it as standard equipment to our customers," said John Krafcik, vice president of product development and strategic planning,
Hyundai Motor America. "Other manufacturers may talk about their commitment to this technology, but at
Hyundai, we've demonstrated our commitment by making ESC standard equipment on 70 percent of our volume."
A study released earlier this week by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) confirmed that ESC reduces the risk of all single-vehicle crashes by more than 40 percent -- fatal crashes by 56 percent. In addition, the same research shows that ESC reduces the risk of fatal multiple-vehicle crashes by 32 percent. The IIHS data also shows that ESC reduces the risk of single-vehicle crashes by SUVs by 43 percent and cars by 33 percent, while it reduces single-vehicle rollovers by SUVs by 80 percent, 77 percent for cars. The IIHS estimates that as many as 10,000 fatal accidents could be avoided each year if all vehicles were equipped with ESC.
"Rarely do we see safety effects as large as we're seeing for Electronic Stability Control," said Adrian Lund, president, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. "We encourage all vehicle manufacturers to include this important technology on new models because the research proves it saves lives."
Hyundai Motor America launched a new initiative in June to inform consumers of the important life-saving technology found as standard equipment on 70 percent of
Hyundai vehicles. All Hyundai vehicles equipped with standard ESC will be tagged with a small window decal which reads "ESC: Life-saving technology confirmed by NHTSA and IIHS studies." This effort is intended to help raise awareness for ESC, while underlining
Hyundai's dedication to providing this sophisticated technology as standard equipment on the vast majority of its models.
Electronic Stability Control is just one element of
Hyundai's commitment to unsurpassed safety, which includes a wide range of active safety equipment to help drivers avoid accidents, and passive equipment to protect all vehicle occupants if an accident can't be avoided.
Electronic Stability Control uses sophisticated electronic and hydraulic technologies to help stabilize situations where a driver finds the vehicle veering from its appropriate path -- due to slippery surfaces, driver distraction or other causes. In a University of Michigan study released earlier this month, Electronic Stability Control reduced the chance of an SUV being in a fatal accident by 50 percent, while reducing the chance of a fatal rollover by 73 percent. For cars, the system reduced the chance of a fatal accident by 31 percent and the chance of a fatal rollover by 40 percent. Study author John Woodrooffe noted that Electronic Stability Control systems "appear to be the most significant safety advance since seat belts."
Additionally, a National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) study reports a 35 percent reduction in single vehicle crashes for passenger cars, and a 30 percent reduction in fatal single vehicle crashes in cars equipped with ESC. For SUVs, the numbers are even higher, with a 67 percent reduction in single vehicle crashes for SUVs and a 63 percent reduction in fatalities.
Accelerating the industry's adoption rate of ESC, five
Hyundai models now come with the safety technology as standard equipment. The
2005 Tucson SUV became the first
Hyundai model to feature ESC as standard equipment upon its launch in fall 2004. It was also the first vehicle under $20,000 with standard ESC and six airbags. The completely redesigned
2006 Sonata mid-size sedan was the first mid-size sedan under $20,000 with standard ESC and six airbags when it launched in spring 2005. The premium
Azera large sedan debuted in fall 2005 with standard ESC and eight standard airbags. This year,
Hyundai's first-ever minivan,
Entourage, debuted with ESC, six standard air bags, and a Gold Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety -- the highest safety rating ever awarded a minivan. And this June,
Hyundai's all-new
2007 Santa Fe mid-size crossover debuts with standard ESC, six airbags, and a starting price below the outgoing model, rounding out
Hyundai's suite of vehicles equipped with standard ESC, and accounting for 70 percent of 2007 model year sales volume.
Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif. is a subsidiary of
Hyundai Motor Company of Korea.
Hyundai cars and sport utility vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by
Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced by more than 700
Hyundai dealerships nationwide.
Source: theautochannel.com
Electronic stability control could prevent nearly one-third of all fatal crashes and reduce rollover risk by as much as 80%; effect is found on single- and multiple-vehicle crashes
ARLINGTON, VA — An extension of antilock brake technology, electronic stability control (ESC) is designed to help drivers retain control of their vehicles during high-speed maneuvers or on slippery roads. Previous research found significant effects of ESC in reducing the risk of fatal single-vehicle crashes. Using data from an additional year of crashes and a larger set of vehicle models, researchers at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety have updated the 2004 results and found that ESC reduces the risk of fatal multiple-vehicle crashes by 32 percent.
The new research confirms that ESC reduces the risk of all single-vehicle crashes by more than 40 percent — fatal ones by 56 percent. The researchers estimate that if all vehicles were equipped with ESC, as many as 10,000 fatal crashes could be avoided each year.
"The findings indicate that ESC should be standard on all vehicles," says Susan Ferguson, Institute senior vice president for research. "Very few safety technologies show this kind of large effect in reducing crash deaths."
Availability varies: ESC is standard on 40 percent of 2006 passenger vehicle models and optional on another 15 percent. It's standard on every 2006 Audi, BMW, Infiniti, Mercedes, and Porsche. Another 8 vehicle makes (Cadillac, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus, Mini, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo) offer at least optional ESC on all of their models. But ESC, standard or optional, is limited to 25 percent or fewer models from Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, Hummer, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Saturn, Subaru, and Suzuki.
After studies in 2004 by the Institute and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, some manufacturers announced plans to make ESC standard on all SUVs. The percentage of SUV models with standard ESC has been growing faster than for cars.
As a stand-alone option, ESC costs from about $300 to $800, but it can cost more than $2,000 on some models when packaged with other equipment. A potential problem for increasing consumer awareness is that automakers market ESC by various names including Electronic Stability Program, StabiliTrak, or Active Handling.
"When ESC is optional, this hodgepodge of terms is bound to be confusing," Ferguson points out. "It's good that some of the major manufacturers have pledged to make ESC standard on their SUVs in the next few model years, and it should be standard on cars and pickup trucks too."
How ESC works: Antilock brakes have speed sensors and independent braking capability. ESC adds sensors that continuously monitor how well a vehicle is responding to a driver's steering wheel input. These sensors can detect when a driver is about to lose control because the vehicle is straying from the intended line of travel — a problem that usually occurs in high-speed maneuvers or on slippery roads. In these circumstances, ESC brakes individual wheels automatically to keep the vehicle under control.
When a driver makes a sudden emergency maneuver or, for example, enters a curve too fast, the vehicle may spin out of control. Then ESC's automatic braking is applied and in some cases throttle reduced to help keep the vehicle under control.
ESC is relatively new. Only in the last few years have researchers had sufficient data to analyze its effects on real-world crashes. The new Institute study is based on data from the federal Fatality Analysis Reporting System and police reports of crashes in 10 states during 2001-04. Researchers compared crash rates for cars and SUVs without ESC and the same models in subsequent years when ESC was standard (note: some vehicles with optional ESC were included in the no-ESC group because so few buyers choose this option).
More effects of ESC on SUVs: The data in the Institute's 2004 study weren't extensive enough to allow researchers to compute separate risk reduction estimates for cars and SUVs. However, this was possible in the broader analysis that's just completed. While both cars and SUVs benefit from ESC, the reduction in the risk of single-vehicle crashes was significantly greater for SUVs — 49 percent versus 33 percent for cars. The reduction in fatal single-vehicle crashes wasn't significantly different for SUVs (59 percent) than for cars (53 percent).
Many single-vehicle crashes involve rolling over, and ESC effectiveness in preventing rollovers is even more dramatic. It reduces the risk of fatal single-vehicle rollovers of SUVs by 80 percent, 77 percent for cars.
ESC was found to reduce the risk of all kinds of fatal crashes by 43 percent. This is more than the 34 percent reduction reported in 2004. If all vehicles had ESC, it could prevent as many as 10,000 of the 34,000 fatal passenger vehicle crashes that occur each year.
Insurance claims show effects on collision losses: The results of the Institute's studies showing significant reductions in serious crash risk are reflected in some insurance losses. According to a new analysis by the Highway Loss Data Institute, an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, losses under collision coverage are about 15 percent lower for vehicles with ESC than for predecessor models without it. However, ESC doesn't have much effect on property damage liability claims or the frequency of injury claims. These findings track police-reported crashes, which show little effect of ESC on the risk of low-severity multiple-vehicle crashes.
Source: iihs.org
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