All-New Ford Mondeo Debuts Pedestrian Detection

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All-new Mondeo debuts Ford’s new Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection, which can detect people in the road ahead – or that could cross the vehicle’s path – and automatically apply the brakes if the driver does not respond to warnings

Fuel efficient powertrains with 2.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine and revised frugal 2.0-litre TDCi diesel

All-new Mondeo weight reduced by 25 kg, with 80 per cent of up to 115 kg body weight savings reinvested to support enhanced fuel efficiency and Co2 emissions

Integral link rear suspension, stiffer chassis, Electric Power Assisted Steering and new brakes deliver benchmark driving dynamics and improved stopping distances

Driver assistance, comfort and safety features include Ford’s adaptive LED headlamps, Inflatable Rear Seatbelts, SYNC2 and MyKey

Advanced materials include high-strength steels, magnesium and smart plastic; innovative hydro-forming production method also helps improve strength

Superior refinement with road noise down 3 decibels, 8 per cent less wind noise; sophisticated design supported by enhanced quality and craftsmanship

MELBOURNE, 8 Apr., 2015 – The all-new Ford Mondeo delivers the global debut of a new pedestrian detection technology that could help reduce the severity of accidents or help drivers avoid them altogether.

Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection feature is delivered alongside the choice of a 2.0-litre EcoBoost powertrain and a revised 2.0-litre TDCi engine. Both engines will be available with six-speed automatic transmissions as standard.

Available in five-door and wagon bodystyles, the all-new Mondeo offers greater refinement and craftsmanship, including latest-generation technologies and a sophisticated contemporary design.

In Australia three models will be available – Ambiente, Trend and Titanium – in both hatch and wagon styles. All models have Ford’s SYNC2 connectivity system, Emergency Assistance and MyKey as standard.
The all-new Mondeo is the most technologically advanced Ford vehicle ever introduced in Europe and will be Ford’s most advanced vehicle available in Australia.
The all-new Mondeo has also been awarded a 5-star ANCAP rating.
The all-new 2015 Mondeo will also offer 10 advanced technologies that are not available on the Toyota Camry, among them Emergency Assistance, Adaptive Cruise Control, adaptive LED headlamps and a Wi-Fi hotspot, Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection, Inflatable Rear Seatbelts and MyKey®. The all-new 2015 Mondeo hatch will be available with a TDCi diesel engine that is more fuel efficient than the Camry Hybrid^ sedan, delivering a combined fuel figure of 5.1 L/100km1 versus the Camry Hybrid’s 5.2 L/100km1.

Detecting pedestrians
Ford’s new Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection can detect people in or near the road ahead, or who may cross the vehicle’s path. If the system detects a potential collision it automatically applies the brakes if the driver does not respond to warnings.

The system processes information collected from a windshield-mounted camera, and radar located in the bumper, and checks it against a database of “pedestrian shapes” to help distinguish people from typical roadside scenery and objects.

If a pedestrian is detected in front of the car, and a collision becomes imminent, the driver will first receive an audible and visual warning. Should the driver not respond, the system then shortens the time required to apply the brakes by reducing the gap between brake pads and discs. If there is still no response from the driver the brakes are applied automatically and the vehicle speed is reduced.

Engineers tested the system on closed circuits using rigs fitted with life-size dummies. They also spent months testing and refining the system on roads around the world to prove system reliability under real world conditions.

The real world testing was an important part of the development. Pedestrians come in all shapes and sizes, and adopt an infinite number of postures so more than 500,000 km of testing was carried out that included an extremely wide range of people and potential situations.

The all-new Mondeo can also apply automatic braking to mitigate or avoid a collision with a vehicle ahead. Active City Stop, which is standard on the Trend and Titanium, operates at speeds of up to 40 km/h. At higher speeds new Pre-Collision Assist uses radar and camera technology, which allows it to scan ahead and automatically apply up to full braking force to help the driver mitigate or avoid many types of rear-end collision. The Pre-Collision Assist system operates from speeds of 3 km/h up to 80 km/h.

Radar technology further enables the new Distance Indication feature and Adaptive Cruise Control technology. Distance Indication provides an intuitive visual interface to inform the driver of the time gap to the vehicle ahead. Adaptive Cruise Control automatically maintains a chosen distance from the vehicle ahead.

In addition, the forward-facing camera supports Lane Keeping Aid, which applies steering torque to guide the all-new Mondeo back in to lane if unintended drifting towards the lane marking is detected.

Choice of engines
Customers will have a choice of two engines in the all-new Mondeo, a powerful yet fuel efficient 2.0-litre EcoBoost engine as well as a powerful 2.0-litre TDCi diesel engine.

The 2.0-litre EcoBoost engine is available in two states of tune – 149 kW and 177 kW.

The all-new Mondeo’s frugal 2.0-litre TDCi diesel engine delivers 132 kW and 400 Nm of torque.

Fuel-efficiency and emissions are improved across the Mondeo powertrain range by up to 14 per cent, supported by features including drag-reducing Active Grille Shutter on the TDCi diesels as well as standard Start-Stop.

Class-leading dynamics
As the first model for Europe and Australia to be built on Ford’s new global CD-segment platform, the all-new Mondeo debuts Ford’s new integral link rear suspension configuration for improved refinement and more dynamic performance.

The all-new platform and body structure is enhanced with Electric Power Assisted Steering for the first time on Mondeo, and an optimised anti-lock braking system also helps reduce stopping distances by more than 1 m from 100 km/h.

With a body structure that’s 10 per cent stiffer than the previous-generation Mondeo and handling-enhancing technology that includes Torque Vectoring Control, this is the most responsive and versatile Mondeo yet.

Stronger body with advanced materials
The all-new Ford Mondeo uses sophisticated materials and production techniques to deliver greater strength and protection with reduced weight and enhanced sustainability.

An industry-first application of hydro-formed high strength steel is used to produce the A-pillars, B-pillars and roof rails. A new magnesium inner tailgate structure for the five-door models delivers a weight-saving of about 40 per cent compared to a traditional steel equivalent.

The weight saved during development has been carefully re-invested into fuel-saving features such as aero-shields and Auto-Start-Stop technology; comfort and convenience features; and a stronger and safer body structure. Ford has improved the strength of safety relevant areas by 40 per cent, and verified the performance with thousands of computer simulations and more than 180 real-world crash tests.

The Mondeo body structure features 61 per cent high strength steel. Bake-hardened steel is used in the roof structure to reduce weight by a further 0.5 kg.

Further structural developments include:

An anti-roll bar uniquely designed to limit transmission travel in a frontal impact, minimising steering rack movement
Sill rocker panels made of martensitic boron steel for improved side impact protection
Bumper crash cans optimised for energy absorption and harmonised with chassis rail characteristics
A flanged front cowl design that allows for flex under impact to increase energy absorption
An integrated rear under-body wheel-arch-to-rail connector that increases torsional stiffness by up to 25 per cent compared with a traditional design

As a result, the all-new Mondeo has been award a 5-star ANCAP safety rating.

Comfort, convenience and safety technology
All-new Mondeo Titanium introduces Ford’s adaptive LED headlamp technology; combining full-LED headlamps with Ford’s Adaptive Front Lighting System to enhance the driver’s view of surroundings.

An advanced version of Enhanced Active Park Assist featuring Perpendicular Parking enables drivers to detect suitably-sized parallel parking spaces and reverse hands-free into spaces and is supported by Park-Out Assist, which helps drivers to exit parallel parking spaces. Side Parking Aid also warns drivers of obstacles to the sides of the vehicles, as well as to the front and rear.

Ford’s industry-first Inflatable Rear Seatbelt technology will make its Australia debut on the all-new Mondeo. In the event of an accident, the belt rapidly expands to disperse crash forces across a body area five times greater than that achieved by a conventional seatbelt.

Segment-first enhanced MyKey® technology will enable Mondeo owners to program a key – usually for younger drivers. MyKey now can inhibit incoming phone calls as well as restricting the top speed; preventing deactivation of driver assistance and safety features; reducing the maximum volume of the audio system, and disabling the system altogether if driver and passengers are not using safety belts.

Superior refinement, design and quality
Road noise reductions of around 3 decibels in the rear and 2 decibels in the front have been achieved with integral link rear suspension and additional sound deadening material, while wind noise is reduced by 8 per cent to levels previously only experienced in the premium segment.

Mondeo delivers best-ever quality and craftsmanship for both the refined, elegant, sporty and highly expressive exterior, and the interior that features optimised ergonomics and comfort, with premium finishes and equipment.

Produced at Ford’s state-of-the-art plant in Valencia, Spain, the all-new Mondeo will feature a sports coupe profile with low roofline and incorporate a retractable panoramic glass roof for the wagon body-style.

The lean side-profile is sculpted to convey “visual lightness,” while the sophisticated and technical front end design features Ford’s more prominent trapezoidal grille, a power-dome bonnet and adaptive, slim-line, laser-cut headlamp design.

Inside, Mondeo drivers are greeted by a digital analogue instrument cluster, while a sleek, wrap-around centre console design delivers a sporty, cockpit-like feel.

Source: Ford Media