FRANKLIN, Tenn. – Following the news that the 2014 INFINITI Q50 luxury sports sedan received an overall five-star safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), INFINITI announced its new sedan has also earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's (IIHS) highest safety award for 2014, TOP SAFETY PICK+.
Both the INFINITI Q50 3.7 and Q50 Hybrid models, including rear- and all-wheel drive versions, were awarded the IIHS' higher accolade of TOP SAFETY PICK+ because of available advanced front crash safety systems they offer, including INFINITI's newly-released Forward Emergency Braking (FEB) system.
Forward Emergency Braking (FEB) helps alert drivers to potential collisions with the vehicle in front of them by providing visual and audible warnings and applying partial braking to help the driver avoid the collision. In the event that the driver does not respond to the initial warnings, a more urgent warning is provided and an increased level of braking is applied to help the driver either avoid or mitigate the crash. In addition, INFINITI's world-first Predictive Forward Collision Warning (PFCW) system helps warn drivers of certain risks that lie beyond their field of view. It senses not only the relative velocity and distance of a vehicle directly ahead, but also of a vehicle travelling in front of the preceding one, providing audible and visual warnings when traffic may be slowing ahead.
A rating of TOP SAFETY PICK from IIHS requires vehicles to meet crashworthiness standards alone, including good performance in the Institute's moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests and good or acceptable performance in the small overlap front test. In order to receive the highest rating of TOP SAFETY PICK+, vehicles must meet the same standards as for TOP SAFETY PICK and also incorporate front crash prevention technology that helps drivers avoid a collision in the first place.
"The IIHS announcement that the Q50 was awarded a TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating is all the more special coming on the heels of last week's announcement of the five-star safety rating for the car from the NHTSA," said INFINITI Americas Vice President, Michael Bartsch. "INFINITI has worked hard to incorporate technology into all of its vehicles that not only make the driving experience more dynamic, but also make driving safer for both the driver and passengers. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's recognition of these efforts only serves to bolster our commitment to be leaders in this field."
2014 INFINITI Q50 Safety Features
2014 INFINITI Q50 models are available with a host of active and passive safety features. Strategically constructed from ultra high strength steel, the Q50 uses zone body construction, creating a reinforced passenger compartment and front and rear crumple zones that act effectively as a safety cage to help protect both the driver and his or her passengers. In addition to using special materials, the Q50 comes standard with INFINITI's Advanced Air Bag System (AABS), front seat-mounted side impact supplemental air bags and standard roof-mounted curtain side impact supplemental air bags for front and rear-seat outboard occupant head protection. The combination of each of these helps to give additional peace of mind to the driver and passengers.
Working in conjunction with the world's first steer-by-wire system in a production car – Direct Adaptive Steering (DAS) – INFINITI incorporated three separate systems into the optional DAS technology that help drivers avoid dangerous "lane drift." Using a small camera installed in front of the rear view mirror that detects lane markers in the road, Lane Departure Warning (LDW) alerts drivers with an audible and visual warning when he or she starts to drift out of a lane while driving at certain speeds. If the driver does not heed LDW's warning, Lane Departure Prevention (LDP) provides the next layer of protection helping to ease the vehicle back toward the center of the lane by providing small electronic steering input changes on vehicles equipped with DAS.
Another world's first technology which debuted on the Q50 as an available option, INFINITI's Active Lane Control (ALC), also helps the car stay centered in the lane. Utilizing the same camera-based system used in LDP and LDW to monitor the lanes ahead, ALC also utilizes the electronic steering function of DAS to help keep the car centered by making minor corrections for crosswind, crown and even slight curves in the road.
Additional available safety and convenience technology options include Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC) with full speed range, Backup Collision Intervention (BCI), Distance Control Assist (DCA), Blind Spot Warning (BSW), and Blind Spot Intervention (BSI).
For additional information on any of these systems, or for a full description of all of INFINITI's advanced safety features found in the new Q50, visit www.infinitiusa.com.
About INFINITI
INFINITI Motor Company LTD. is headquartered in Hong Kong with sales operations in approximately 50 countries. The INFINITI brand was launched in 1989. Its range of premium automobiles is currently built in manufacturing facilities in Japan and the United States. Production in China and Europe will start soon along with the expansion of the brand's portfolio.
As the Title Partner and Vehicle Performance Partner of INFINITI Red Bull Racing, INFINITI has a far-reaching technical collaboration with the Formula One team, and Sebastian Vettel, its four-time World Champion driver, serves as INFINITI's Director of Performance.
INFINITI offers a full-line of luxury performance automobiles that inspire at every turn, including the all-new Q50 luxury sports sedan, Q60 coupe and convertible, Q70 performance luxury sedan, QX50 luxury crossover, QX60 7-passenger luxury crossover, QX70 performance luxury crossover and the QX80 full-size luxury SUV.
More information about INFINITI, its Total Ownership Experience® and its industry leading technologies can be found at www.infinitiusa.com. For the latest news on INFINITI, visit www.infinitinews.com, "like" INFINITI on Facebook, and follow the brand on Twitter @INFINITIUSA.
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Contact:
Kyle Bazemore
INFINITI Communications
Tel: 615-739-8404
kyle.bazemore@infiniti.com
