2008 Australian International Motor Show: Ford FG Falcon - Australia's First 5-Star Car

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Ford will have three of its all-new FG Falcon sedan models - the G6E, G6E Turbo and XR6 Turbo – on display at the Australian International Motor Show, showcasing the first Australian-built car to receive a five-star safety rating from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).

The petrol FG Falcon sedan range was awarded the maximum five-star safety rating with a total score of 34.6 points (out of a possible 37 points), giving it the highest score ever recorded by a locally-produced car in Australia by a significant margin.

The FG Falcon's five-star score places it in the top seven per cent of all published ANCAP results, as well as in the top 24 per cent of published ANCAP five-star results.

It also positions the FG Falcon at the forefront of vehicle safety in Australia, with the recently released all-new model generating a higher point score than many significantly higher-priced, premium European vehicles1 with established reputations for world-class safety.

"The petrol FG Falcon sedan range has been judged by ANCAP as being the safety leader amongst locally-manufactured vehicles, cementing Ford's long standing reputation for safety leadership in Australia," Ford Australia President Marin Burela said.

"We design our cars to deliver real-world safety benefits for our customers. This result is a resounding third party endorsement of the extensive safety development program undertaken for the all-new FG Falcon.

"Not only is the FG Falcon the safest vehicle ever produced in this country, it is also competitive with the safest sedans in the world.

"These safety test results add further validation to the extensive crash simulation process and physical crash test program conducted by Ford Australia for the FG Falcon, which was the most comprehensive in the company's history."

More than 38 different vehicle crash modes were investigated by Ford during the course of the vehicle's development, with 426 full vehicle-representative physical crash tests and more than 5,000 state-of-the-art simulated crash tests completed.

The petrol FG Falcon sedan scored maximum points in two of the three physical crash tests performed by ANCAP, setting a new standard in vehicle safety for a locally-manufactured family car, with its world-class body structure and comprehensive suite of active and passive safety features.

* Reference vehicle information courtesy of ANCAP website – www.ancap.com.au – August, 2008

In order to be awarded a maximum five-star rating, in addition to scoring at least 32.5 points overall (including pole test and seat belt reminders), a vehicle must meet the following specific requirements:

• a minimum score of 12.5 points must be achieved in the offset frontal test
• a minimum score of 12.5 points must be achieved in the side impact test
• at least one (1) point must be achieved in the pole impact test
• vehicle must be equipped with an Electronic Stability Control system

1 See table at end of the release for a list of European vehicles for comparison

Appendix 1

List of European vehicles for comparison