The Mitsubishi ASX Receives 5 Star NCAP Award

Less than a year after its successful market introduction in Europe, the Mitsubishi ASX compact crossover confirms the excellence of its engineering with the Euro NCAP crash test results released today, a 5-Star (new protocol) achievement that will add to Mitsubishi ASX' many virtues.

In detail, Mitsubishi ASX' impressive performance reads as follows:

• Adult occupant: 86 %
• Child occupant: 78 %
• Pedestrian: 60 %
• Safety assist: 71 %

This high level of built-in passive safety comes as a result of a very comprehensive safety package including items such as:

• Shape optimisation of the octagonal-section straight front side members for better energy absorption.
• "Triple-leg" bearing structure linking the rear end of the front side member with the dash cross center and lower members to efficiently disperse frontal impact energy.
• Front section of the side members featuring a crush box structure that absorbs impact energy to prevent its transmission to the full length of the member in low-speed impacts. This minimises damage to the body as a whole and reduces repair costs.
• Reinforced girdle body construction - in which side member reinforcements are welded together. Highly effective in absorbing crash energy in frontal, rear and side impacts.
• Use of high-tensile steel (see above) reduces weight and increases stiffness.

All these measures (and more) complement Mitsubishi Motors' proprietary RISE ("Reinforced Impact Safety Evolution"). As a reminder, RISE is meant to integrate and interconnect structural elements for an active protection of the passengers during an accident. This design brings dramatic advances in multi-directional impact safety performance, dispersing energy loads during front, side and rear crashes and controlling distortion.

In parallel, the very good 60% rating for pedestrian safety results from the implementation of further items, such as:

• Bonnet design featuring a double bulge (creating a crushable zone for pedestrians)
• Open section construction of the windshield support
• Plastic front wings
• Energy absorbing front bumper (leg injury mitigation)

Beyond - courtesy of the all-inclusive electronic architecture of its "Project Global" platform - Mitsubishi ASX also offers the full palette of active & passive safety devices, including (availability according to model and market):

• Active Stability Control
• Traction Control
• Hill Start Assist system
• ABS
• Electronic Brake Distribution
• Brake Assist
• Emergency Stop signal System
• Up to 7 airbags (incl. driver knee airbag) depending on market and version

Introduced in Europe late Spring of 2010, Mitsubishi ASX has already won over 22,665 customers in the region during CY2010.