.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Toyota has developed a bag which fires between the rear-seat passengers to protect them from each other and body panels in a side- on impact.
The new airbag is housed in a large central console and is expected to be seen in a vehicle in Australian showrooms before the end of the year.
"We expect to see it in a new model which is being launched fairly soon. But we cannot say what that model might be," Toyota spokesman, Mike Breen, said yesterday.
The rear airbag comes as safety leaders including Mercedes-Benz, Volvo and BMW fit their cars with up to nine airbags, including knee protection.
Most new cars now routinely come with up to six airbags - for front, side and head protection - although sub-$20,000 cars mostly only have two.
Toyota has also developed a world-first rear airbag which is fitted beneath the hatchback of its tiny iQ city car, although the car is not coming to Australia.
The rear-seat airbag is designed to fire in a side-on impact, cushioning passengers who might collide with each other or the console area.
Toyota, which has recently become the world's largest carmaker, has a safety program with the target of eliminating all traffic casualties by 2050.
.jpg)
.jpg)
Comments