Autoliv’s new passenger airbag concept has several advantages and is compatible with specific vehicle needs

Autoliv, the global leader in automotive safety systems, has unveiled a new passenger airbag concept designed to reduce weight by up to 30 per cent. This is achieved by using a unique fabric container for the folded airbag, instead of a regular steel or plastic housing.

This has been introduced in the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse, Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave. The weight savings enabled by the passenger airbag concept will help car companies meet the more stringent CO2 and CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) requirements.

Other advantages include a simpler integration of the airbag into the dashboard of the vehicle. By using textile material for the housing, it reduces prototype and production tooling needs and helps to cut prototype turnaround time from months to days. So, the entire development process from inception to production is reduced sharply.

“We’re proud of this new concept that will further assist our customers’ efforts to reduce environmental impact”, said Pontus Soderstrom, Autoliv’s Director, Advanced Technologies for GM Global Business Unit. He added: “The new product’s inherent flexibility enables it to be re-used across different vehicle designs and more robustly absorb tolerance differences between the upper instrument panel and lower instrument panel”.

The airbag can be attached to the instrument panel of vehicles of varying architecture.It could be hard mounted to the back of the instrument panel or hooked to the instrument panel chute walls. It’s also compatible with a variety of inflator and cushion options depending on specific vehicle needs.This patented technology has been sourced on multiple vehicle programmes for various customers, launching over the next few years.