US carmaker Ford Motors has completed several crash tests on the new B-MAX's Easy Access Door System to ensure higher safety level.
The five-year testing programme for B-MAX mini MPV, which incorporates central body pillars into hinged front doors and sliding rear doors, comprised about 5,000 virtual collisions and 40 real-world crashes.
Ford safety project manager Tom Overington said the latches and crash catchers are crucial because they are designed to keep the doors together during a crash.
"We performed virtual car-to-car crashes at a 30 degree angle into the front and rear doors to further validate the performance of the door structure," Overington said
"We also built a special rig to test the reinforced latch mechanism."
The doors of the MPV are equipped with ultra-high strength steel brackets known as crash catchers that lock the doors together during collision in the side.
Ford said that the tests enhanced the car's capability of surviving a side impact force beyond 165 kilonewtons, and is also aimed at meeting the full ratings when evaluated by Euro NCAP.
