Paris, 1 October 2010 – The European automobile manufacturers welcome the
introduction of the Euro NCAP Advanced Awards as an important recognition
of   their   sustained   and   progressive   investments  in  life-saving
technologies and safety systems.

A  first  set  of  the  Advanced Awards was handed out today at the Paris
motor show by Euro  NCAP,  the European New Car Assessment Programme run by a number of
governments and motoring clubs in the EU. Euro NCAP is best known for its
star-rating  of  cars  based  on  how  these perform in a crash test. The
newest safety features, however, focus on accident prevention rather than
impact  mitigation.  The traditional tests cannot sufficiently assess the
major  benefits  that  these  advanced systems bring to drivers and other
road users.

“Advanced  safety  systems  are  an important feature in our cars and the
Awards  will  help provide our customers with essential information about
the  new  technologies  and the expected life-saving benefits”, said Ivan
Hodac,  Secretary-General  of  ACEA,  the  auto industry’s Brussels based
trade  association.  “The auto industry has worked closely with Euro NCAP
to  develop  the  new test protocol, and we will continue bringing in new
candidate technologies for future assessment.”

The  European  auto  industry  is  leading  in  safety  and environmental
technologies    and    consistently    sustains   high   investments   in
ground-breaking R&D. With over €26 billion invested in R&D each year, the
ACEA members are the largest private investors in R&D in Europe.

The  European automotive industry is a keen supporter of the EU objective
to  reduce  fatalities  from  traffic.  Over  the past decades, so-called
passive  safety systems such as seatbelts and airbags have played a major
role  in  road casualty reduction and the technologies involved have been
constantly  further  improved. In addition, the safety of more vulnerable
road  users like pedestrians and cyclists has been increased as well with
improvements  in  bonnet  design  and  collapsible mirrors. Many ‘active’
safety  features  including  ABS and electronic stability control are now
fitted  as  standard  as  well.  Most  vehicles,  today,  boast a maximum
five-star rating from Euro NCAP.

The  new  generation  of  safety  technologies  is  often  referred to as
Advanced  Driver  Assistant  Systems (ADAS) and aim to help the driver in
mastering the situation on the road. These systems use sensors, radar and
video  imaging  to monitor the surroundings of a vehicle. Examples of the
technologies  include  blind-spot  monitoring,  active cruise control and
lane-departure warning.

Technological  innovation will continue to help reduce road accidents and
the  European  industry  will remain at the forefront of progress. At the
same  time,  however,  efforts  must  be  made  to  improve  the  traffic
circumstances  with  intelligent  and  well-designed  infrastructure  and
supported  by road traffic law enforcement. The auto industry promotes an
integrated  approach  to road safety in which all stakeholders play their
part.

About ACEA
The   European   automotive   industry   is   key  to  the  strength  and
competitiveness  of  Europe.  The ACEA members are BMW Group, DAF Trucks,
Daimler,  FIAT  Group, Ford of Europe, General Motors Europe, Jaguar Land
Rover,  MAN  Nutzfahrzeuge,  Porsche, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Renault Group,
Scania,  Toyota  Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, Volvo Cars, Volvo Group.
They  provide  direct  employment  to  more  than  2.3 million people and
indirectly support another 10 million jobs. Annually, ACEA members invest
over €26 billion in R&D, or 5% of turnover.

For further information, please contact Sigrid de Vries, Director
Communications ACEA  +32 2 738 73 45 or sv@acea.be
Please also visit www.acea.be