Toyoda Gosei’s New driver-side airbag Used on New Lexus ES

KIYOSU, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. (TOKYO:7282)’s new driver-side airbag has been chosen for use on the new Lexus ES launched from Toyota Motor.

Driver-side airbags are installed in the steering wheel and deploy to mitigate impacts to the driver’s head and chest during frontal collisions. Toyoda Gosei has now developed a driver-side airbag with a new structure that can gently protect a wide range of drivers—those with small and large physiques, elderly people, and others. Change of the bag shape from a sphere to a cylindrical shape has led to increase in its depth by over 25% with capacity to restrain the driver at an earlier moment during collisions. This improves the bag’s performance in absorbing impacts to the body, and can effectively protect heavy drivers with large physiques, elderly people who are susceptible to bone fracture injuries, and others. Toyoda Gosei aims for the wider adoption of these airbags to comply with the stricter safety regulations in all parts of the world and move closer to zero traffic fatalities.¹

¹ Used on new Lexus ES models sold in places that are taking the lead in stricter safety regulations.