Ford Taurus 2012 - Built-in Structural Safety; Class-exclusive SPACE Architecture

18
May 2011
esourcebook.dealerconnection.com
RE&T: 2012 Source Book
Taurus
Taurus
Safety/Security
2012
Built-in Structural Safety
• Safetystructure provides outstanding rigidity and
provenquality.Usingcomputer-aidedengineering,
Ford developed the Taurus platform for optimal
rigidity. The benefits are a smoother ride on rough
roads and improved crash performance
• Doorbeams are attached at the strongest points of
the door frame. Beams within the door help protect
against intrusion in side impacts and help manage
frontal-impact forces
• Frontbumperplate helps reduce crash forces on
the inside face of the frame rail by 14 percent and
promotes a more even collapse of the energy-
absorbing structures — keeping the force of an
impact away from your customers
• Tunnelrails support front rail and engine loads in
a front crash to provide passenger compartment
integrity
• Octagonalfrontframerails distribute forces better
than rectangular ones because the corners of a
structure bear most of the load. The octagonal
shape helps prevent the front frame rails from
buckling under varying crash conditions
• Energy-absorbingcrashstructure includes a
“shotgun”structuralmemberabovethewheelto
help absorb and redirect front crash forces above
and below the passenger compartment, particularly
in crashes with tall vehicles
• Frontstructuretripoddesign channels front crash
forces upward and downward into a high-strength
steel ring of protection around and away from the
passenger compartment
• Kick-upcrossmember provides additional cross-
vehicle transfer of the load in a side-impact crash
Occupant Protection cont’d
MAKE THE POINT: Controlling Crash Forces
YoucanillustratehowthetripoddesignoftheTaurusfrontbodystructurehelpsto“steer”crashforcesaway
from the passenger compartment. First demonstrate how a crash affects a vehicle without a tripod design.
Tell customers to think of their arm as the front structure of the vehicle and their shoulder as the passenger
compartment. Have them make a fist and hold their arm straight out, stiffly in front of their body. With their
other hand, have them put force against their fist. In this situation, their shoulder (the passenger compartment)
takes the full force they’re putting against it. Next demonstrate the tripod design by having them put force
against their outstretched arm again — this time bending their elbow outward. In a similar manner, the front
structure tripod design directs the steering forces away from the vehicle passenger compartment.
Class-exclusive
(1)
SPACE (Side Protection And
Cabin Enhancement) Architecture
Among the many elements that comprise this
advanced structural safety system, a hydroformed
cross-car beam runs between the door frames,
strengthening each bodyside. In a side-impact
collision, a bend in the beam triggers its deformation,
helping to divert crash forces away from occupants. A
strong roof crossmember teams with the underseat
tube to provide enhanced side-impact protection.
Collapsible Driveshaft
•Designedwitha“triggerpoint”indentationforged
into the shaft where computer modeling shows
impact forces to be greatest
•Indentationallowsthedriveshafttoabsorbcrash
energy in a more controlled manner
•Collapsibledesignhelpspreventdriveshaft
intrusion into the passenger compartment
•All-wheel-drivemodelsonly
Collapsible Steering Column
•Collapsesdifferentlyduringfrontimpacts
depending on the amount of crash energy, driver’s
size and seat position
•Energy-absorbing“bendsheet”holdsupperand
lower portions of steering column together
•Shapeofbendsheethelpscontrolthecollapseof
the steering column in an impact
(1) Class is full-size non-luxury sedans vs. 2011 competitors.