ESP Fitment Increases In The UK, But Small Cars Still Lag Behind

DENHAM, United Kingdom – February 20, 2009: During the first half of 2008, 56 percent of all newly registered cars in the UK were equipped with the Electronic Stability Program, (ESP). This was an increase of eight percent on 2007 levels and the first time the UK fitment rate has represented more than half of all new cars sold. In Europe, overall fitment rose by three per cent to a figure of 53 percent.

In the UK small car sector which accounts for nearly 40% of all new car registrations sales of ESP lags behind at a 13 percent fitment rate. "ESP® is just as important for small cars as for larger vehicles," says Werner Struth, president of the Bosch Chassis Systems Control division. "Buyers should therefore be sure to ask for the safety system as an optional feature if it is not already on board as standard equipment."

The European New Car Assessment Programme, Euro NCAP, which uses simulated accident situations to test the safety of vehicles, has announced that ESP will be incorporated into its new evaluation process from February 2009. As of 2010, the new guidelines mean that vehicle models will only be given the maximum five-star rating if they are equipped with ESP as a standard feature.

ESP® stabilises the vehicle in critical situations and can prevent up to 80 percent of all skidding accidents. Bosch pioneered the Electronic Stability Programme technology and was the first manufacturer to take it into mass production back in 1995.

"I am confident that acceptance of ESP will continue to increase in the years to come as well," says Struth. "A number of independent international studies demonstrate the system's life-saving effectiveness. This is why its mandatory installation is increasingly under discussion worldwide." In the U.S., its gradual adoption by 2012 has already been stipulated. Likewise, gradual adoption of ESP as mandatory standard fitment by October 2014 is being discussed on a European level.