DEARBORN, Mich. — The Ford Motor Company has announced that the 2008 Ford Taurus X crossover will arrive in showrooms this summer bearing both a Top Safety Pick rating by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the government’s highest five-star crash test ratings. The IIHS Top Safety Pick rating can only be earned by vehicles that achieve the best-available safety performance in front, side and rear collisions and offer electronic stability control. In addition to its Top Safety Pick designation, Taurus X is among a small group of vehicles in the mid-size SUV category to also earn five-star crash test performance from NHTSA. In addition to the Taurus X crossover, the IIHS also gave Ford’s Taurus and Sable its highest rear impact rating for offering effective protection against neck injuries, as well as its highest front and side impact ratings for withstanding intrusion into the occupant compartment. All three models are built in Chicago. The structure of the Taurus X, Taurus and Sable family cars are engineered with crush zones designed to direct excess energy around the passenger compartment into a high-strength safety cage. An innovative cross-car beam “SPACETM Architecture” under the front seats reinforces the structure between the B-pillars, which helps direct energy away from passengers. All three vehicles offer an industry-first, two-row Safety Canopy side airbag system that not only enhances protection in side-impact collisions, but also deploys in rollover accidents. Side-impact protection comes from a combination of airbag technology and structural features that help safeguard occupants by channeling crash energy away from the passenger compartment. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.fordvehicles.com.
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