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“2012 Yellow Angel”: Dual victory for Volkswagen

Wolfsburg, 19 January 2012 - Today in Munich, ADAC announced award winners of its "2012 Yellow Angel" competition. Volkswagen took two of the coveted top honours: in the category of "Innovations and environment" the Wolfsburg-based company was recognised for its development of the multicollision brake, while in the "Car of the future" category the Passat TSI EcoFuel impressed the experts.

A jury of experts - made up of the ADAC executive board and the presidents of VDA, VDIK and ZDK - singled out the development of the multicollision brake as an outstanding innovation. On behalf of Volkswagen, Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Brand responsible for Development, accepted the "Yellow Angel" award in the "Innovation & Environment" category.

The multicollision brake (MKB), which will be introduced in the next generation Golf, is a new and important system for integral safety. It initiates automatic braking after a collision to reduce accident severity and avoid any secondary collisions - entirely if possible.

Various studies have shown that in just about one-quarter of all car accidents in Germany that involve loss of vehicle control by the driver and high kinetic energy, a secondary collision occurs with another vehicle, non-automotive traffic or the environment. At Volkswagen Research, the new system's effectiveness was verified in various crash studies that included impacts against crash barriers at a number of vehicle speeds and impact angles.

The multicollision brake system is triggered by the airbag electronic control module, which detect an initial collision. The system evaluates data from such sources as accelerometers, pressure sensors in the doors, belt tensioners and/or the airbags in frontal, rear and side crashes. Detection of the crash by two independent sensors is required to trigger the MKB. The data is communicated to the ESP electronic control module, and the vehicle is braked at a predetermined deceleration rate to a minimum speed of 10 km/h. Nonetheless, the driver - if not incapacitated - can still override the system and take control of the vehicle, braking or accelerating during the accident event.

Volkswagen also scored top honours in the "Car of the future" category, winning the prestigious ADAC trophy. The winning car was the Passat TSI EcoFuel, which has been setting new standards for natural gas powered cars since its market launch in 2009. Its bivalent 1.4 TSI engine with 110 kW / 150 PS can be powered with either natural gas or petrol, and it impresses with its low fuel consumption values and low CO2 emissions of 117 g/km. In explaining its award selection, ADAC praised the Passat TSI EcoFuel for its very high level of development with regard to everyday practicality, economy, environmental compatibility and safety.