Toyota shows first rear window airbag

Tomorrow, Toyota will unveil its new iQ city car in a ready to sell form at the Paris Show and it claims that the rear window curtain shield airbag is a world first.

Deploying from inside the roof lining in front of the upright rear hatch of the iQ, the new airbag forms a curtain-like shield in the same way as side curtain airbags do.

With so little space between the rear window and the passengers in the back of the iQ, the new airbag design is intended to double the protection to the rear occupants' heads in a rear-end collision.

At this stage it is thought unlikely that Toyota will adopt the new airbag design for other vehicles, as it only benefits really short cars.

Shane O' Donoghue