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The Challenges Facing Automobile Manufacturers
Meeting our responsibilities, while creating cars people want to drive
Passive Safety Technology
We have developed and are consistently evolving a highly rigid, safe body
for our cars known as Mazda Advanced Impact-energy Distribution and
Absorption System, which incorporates both a 'crushable zone', which
absorbs impact during a collision, and an extremely strong triple-H
structure, in order to offer passengers safety at all times. Inside the car, we
have incorporated a 'horizontally-moving impact absorption steering
system' , which effectively reduces the impact on the head and chest
during collision, by moving horizontally if an impact occurs from the front,
and a 'crushable brake pedal', which reduces the risk of injury to the lower
legs of the driver. We have also developed front seats that reduce head
and neck injury, and impact-absorbing interiors. In addition to this, Mazda
is also committed to pedestrian safety, and is developing front body
structure for its cars that reduces injury and impact to pedestrians in the
event that they are hit by a car.
Adopted in Axela and Premacy.
Premacy's body – highly rigid and extremely safe
The H-type structure has been strengthened further in line with the introduction of the wideopening
sliding doors, in order to distribute impact safely throughout the whole body in the
event of collision from the side. In addition to this, the high level of cabin strength and excellent
impact absorption make the car extremely safe when subject to impact from the front or rear.
Impact-absorbing steering system:
operating image
Crushable brake pedal:
operating image
Cross-car beam
Brake pedal
Verification of Safety
Mazda implements a variety of verification tests on its cars during
development, to ensure that safety levels are being achieved. We implement the
newest crash-test technologies using a supercomputer, and utilize both crash
simulators and actual vehicle-based crash tests in order to achieve the highest
levels of verification and ensure that we are supplying cars that are truly safe to
drive.
Collision safety testing using a crash simulator
Progress on the development of ASVs (Advanced Safety Vehicles)
Mazda is committed to utilizing progressive technologies and safety measures wherever
possible to ensure increased general safety for the traffic environment, as well as for the
movement of people in other circumstances. We are taking part in the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure and Transport's ASV Development Promotion Project, with a view to
developing safety technologies for the future, and we are currently in the process of
developing and road testing a trial vehicle based on the MPV. We hope to be able to
develop the car into a viable product in the near future. We are also committed to the
creation of a traffic environment that is accident- and congestion-free, and are
participating in the ITS project, which is aiming to create a next-generation Intelligent
Transport System.
Bonnet used to verify pedestrian safety during a crash test
RX-8 gets the highest classification – six stars – in collision safety, too
In the general evaluation for collision safety of the FY 2003 Automobile
Assessment, too, the RX-8 got the highest possible score of six stars, for both
driver and passenger safety. Despite being structured without a center pillar,
the car received an excellent evaluation as a sports car with highly safe
performance.
movement
In a front offset collision, the impact energy is
distributed three ways across the front of the cabin,
reducing deformation, as a result of the triple impactdistributing
structure
Side airbags for the driver
and front seat passenger
With Mazda’s unique high-rigidity, extra-safe
body, the crushable zone absorbs impact energy
during a collision, and the triple-H structure,
which gives an extremely strong floor, sides and
roof, reduces cabin deformation.
Photo: Atenza
The aluminum strengthening materials included
inside the rear doors, and the vertical, highly
elastic steel pipe built-in pillars allow the car to be
far stronger in a side-on impact than the average
four-door sedan, despite having no center pillars.
Glossary: 3 Glossary: 4
ASV
Advanced Safety Vehicle
ITS
Intelligent Transport Systems
Social & Environmental Report 2005