Ford has thrown some more light on the safety features of the latest Mustang, which include a new type of knee airbag for the front passenger.

What Ford did was to integrate the airbag within the door of the glovebox, allowing for more room for the passenger’s knees when compared to a traditional airbag design. Rather than using a fabric airbag, this new solution consists of a moulded plastic design sandwiched between the outer and inner surfaces of the glove box’s door.

The glove box airbag weighs 65 per cent less than a conventional knee airbag ‘yet offers comparable protection’ according to Ford. “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 Ford restraints manager Sean West. “It was worth it. 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.”

“Our glove box airbag opens up a whole new world of possibilities for injection-moulded plastic airbags. The glove box airbag could be just the beginning,” West added.

Ford has also released a video showing its new airbag in action which will find its way eventually into the other models of the range.

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