06 Jul 2015

Skoda sets a standard for Autonomous Emergency Braking across all new Fabia

ANCAP today issued a 5 star ANCAP safety rating for the new Skoda Fabia. ANCAP congratulates Skoda for this top rating and for the standard it has set in providing Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) as a standard inclusion across the Fabia range. 5 star ANCAP safety ratings were also announced for the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Holden Astra.

"The release of the new generation Skoda Fabia sees all Fabia models sold with AEB as a standard feature," said ANCAP Chief Executive Officer, Mr Nicholas Clarke.

Autonomous Emergency Braking is an advanced driver assistance technology which can prevent or minimise the effects of a crash - the benefits of which are already proven.

"AEB systems have shown to reduce rear-end crashes by more than 50%. The introduction of more advanced AEB systems - which work at a range of speeds, and which are able to detect other obstacles such as pedestrians, cyclists and animals - will contribute to a further reduction in the number and severity of road crashes."

"Now is the time to accelerate the introduction of this important technology across the Australian vehicle fleet. ANCAP is buoyed by the decision by Skoda to provide AEB as standard across all Fabia variants and we are continuing our call for all manufacturers to do the same," said Mr Clarke.

"Sophisticated vehicle safety technologies such as AEB will lead the way in reducing road trauma at an unprecedented rate," Mr Clarke added.

AEB systems use camera and/or sensor technology to detect the speed and distance of objects in the vehicle's path and automatically brake if the driver does not respond in order to avoid or minimise the severity of a crash.

The 5 star ANCAP safety rating for the Skoda Fabia applies to all Australian 5 door hatch and wagon variants.

Jeep has also provided consumers with welcome news with all V6 variants of the Jeep Grand Cherokee now able to claim 5 star status. This 5 star ANCAP safety rating applies to all V6 variants built from March 2013 following upgrades to the Grand Cherokee's structure and seat design.

Astra models (GTC, GTC Sport and VXR) re-introduced under the Holden badge also continue to hold a 5 star ANCAP safety rating.

ANCAP is supported by all Australian and New Zealand motoring clubs, the Australian Government, the New Zealand Government, Australian state and territory governments, the Victorian Transport Accident Commission, NRMA Insurance and the FIA Foundation.

Holden Astra (2015 – Nov 2016) frontal offset test at 64km/h

Jeep Grand Cherokee (March 2013 - onwards) frontal offset test at 64km/h