SHANGHAI, CHINA - Ford Motor Co.'s new Fiesta has received a maximum five-star safety rating from the China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC), which recently released its China New Car Assessment Program (C-NCAP) ratings. 

The new Fiesta 1.5L MT performed well in the C-NCAP crash test by scoring 12.32, 15.38 and 14.77 in the frontal 100 percent overlap rigid barrier, side impact and 40 percent offset impact. The vehicle received an additional three points for having other safety features, such as side airbags and side air curtains.

"The Ford Fiesta's five-star rating in the C-NCAP is proof that a small car can deliver significant safety," said Nigel Harris, vice president of Ford Motor (China) Ltd. "With Fiesta, we have multi-dimension protection for the occupants on board, offered by smartly deployed airbags, body rigidity, and attention to detail that has gone into defining the Fiesta and its safety performance." 

More than half of the Fiesta's body structure is constructed in high-strength steel, including grades of very high-strength, dual-phase steel and ultra-high-strength aluminized Boron steel. These components add rigidity and save weight.

The new Fiesta's safety equipment and passive safety technologies include six airbags, driver and co-driver seat airbags, new side-chest airbags, and the inflatable air curtains for front and rear-seat occupants. A series of airbag sensor calibration tests have also been carried out to ensure the airbags can be properly and timely deployed when most needed. 

The E-PAS power-steering is designed to give the driver a better feel and improved agility when negotiating a curve. The ABS (double-circuit four-wheel anti-braking) and EBD also contribute to enhancing the active safety of the car, Ford said. 

The backrests of the front seats are designed to offer "whiplash injury" protection. 

The new Ford Fiesta was introduced in China in 2009. In 2010, Ford sold over 75,000 new Fiestas in China, 59 percent up compared with 2009.