Toyota to Make Side Airbags and Curtain Shield Airbags Standard on All New Passenger Vehicle Models in Japan

Diagram of SRS Side Airbag and SRS Curtain Shield Airbag System

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Tokyo July 23, 2007; TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announced today that, starting with new models to be launched shortly, all of its new passenger vehicle models in Japan would come standard with side-impact-reducing SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) side airbags for front seats and SRS curtain shield airbags.

When side collisions occur, an SRS side airbag built into the front seat deploys, reducing the risk of upper body injury for front seat occupants. Furthermore, SRS curtain shield airbags, located between the front pillars and the roof-side rails, deploy to the sides of all occupants’ heads to form a curtain-like barrier, reducing impact from the side windows, pillars and other internal objects, as well as from external objects such as telephone poles.

According to a study conducted in the United States1, SRS side airbags and SRS curtain shield airbags reduced deaths from side collisions by 37%. In the case of Japan, 73% of serious side collisions result in injuries to the head and upper body2.

In order to help lessen injuries in the event of a collision, Toyota has been equipping a wider range of vehicles with new airbags for some time, employing SRS side airbags for the Celsior launched in August 1996 and introducing the world's first ever SRS curtain shield airbags for the Progrés launched in May 1998.

As a part of its efforts to realize sustainable mobility, Toyota intends to strengthen its traffic safety initiatives in the future through: 1) the development of even safer vehicles and technologies, 2) participation in the creation of a safe traffic environment and 3) activities designed to educate people in traffic safety, thereby contributing to the complete elimination of traffic casualties, which can be viewed as the ultimate hope of a society that values mobility.

1. Data published by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in October 2006. 2. 2005 statistical data from the Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis in Japan.