Honda G-Con

Last updated June 25, 2024

G-Con is Honda Motor Co.'s internal passive safety standard. G-Con is short for G-Force Control. The standards incorporated into G-Con are constantly updated to benchmark against many of the world's toughest crash safety regulations as well as against data collected from real-world accident cases. The objective of G-Con is to control the impact energy (G-force) of a collision and reduce injuries to the vehicle occupants.

Background

G-Con was first announced in 1998,^[1] and all Honda vehicles developed from a new platform since then are designed with G-Con technology. G-CON is part of the wider concept of Honda advanced technology

Test Standards

As of to date, the G-Con test includes:

55 km/h full frontal collision
64 km/h frontal offset collision
55 km/h side collision
50 km/h rear collision

The scope of G-Con's test covers a wider range than many country's legal requirements. For example, the U.S. NHTSA test only covers full frontal collision but does not test vehicles against an offset deformable frontal barrier. Frontal offset collision tests are a better representation of some real world collisions because it mimics the driver's instinctive reaction to swerve away from an obstacle to avoid an accident. Rear collision tests are not a mandatory requirement by any major automotive market. Euro NCAP have yet to incorporate rear collision though there are plans to do so in the future; however it covers side pole impact test and collisions with infant occupants.

G-Con technology focuses on passive safety aspects. In an overall vehicle safety philosophy, active safety components are more important than passive safety.

Further developments

Most crash testings are done in a controlled laboratory environment, against static objects and thus many variables that affect a vehicle's real-world crash performance are not evaluated. One of the main problems with real world collisions is the huge disparity between weight, dimensions and body types of different vehicles on the road. When vehicles of different weight and size collide, the vehicle's passive safety features may not work as intended. The differences in vehicle designs may cause of the colliding vehicles to under-ride or over-ride, limiting the vehicle's frames to properly absorb / disperse the impact energy. This is particularly serious in a collision between a small hatchback and a large sedan / SUV. Even on a collision between two same vehicle models, the differences in their ride height due to the number of occupants on board / actual weight is sufficient to cause the two vehicle's crash members to be out of alignment with each other, causing under-riding / over-riding.

Recognising this, Honda built the world's first indoor car-to-car omnidirectional crash test facility in its Tochigi R&D Center in year 2000. This allows Honda to now simulate collisions between multiple vehicles of any body type, from any direction. With results from tests done from this facility, Honda was able to further build on its G-Con technology to incorporate Advance Compatibility Engineering, Honda's term for crash compatibility body.

The 2003 JDM Honda Life is the first Honda model to be developed with ACE, to incorporate a crash compatibility body. The mini kei car Honda Life is designed to withstand collision against a 2-ton Honda Legend (Acura RL) sedan. All new Honda models developed from a new platform after that are equipped with crash compatibility body.

Since then, G-Con has been further developed to also include pedestrian safety.

Related Research Articles

An airbag is a vehicle occupant-restraint system using a bag designed to inflate exceptionally quickly and then deflate during a collision. It consists of an airbag cushion, a flexible fabric bag, an inflation module, and an impact sensor. The purpose of the airbag is to provide a vehicle occupant with soft cushioning and restraint during a collision. It can reduce injuries between the flailing occupant and the vehicle's interior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crash test dummy</span> Full-scale anthropomorphic test devices that simulate human bodies in vehicle crash testing

A crash test dummy, or simply dummy, is a full-scale anthropomorphic test device (ATD) that simulates the dimensions, weight proportions and articulation of the human body during a traffic collision. Dummies are used by researchers, automobile and aircraft manufacturers to predict the injuries a person might sustain in a crash. Modern dummies are usually instrumented to record data such as velocity of impact, crushing force, bending, folding, or torque of the body, and deceleration rates during a collision.

Crumple zones, crush zones, or crash zones are a structural safety feature used in vehicles, mainly in automobiles, to increase the time over which a change in velocity occurs from the impact during a collision by a controlled deformation; in recent years, it is also incorporated into trains and railcars.

A crash test is a form of destructive testing usually performed in order to ensure safe design standards in crashworthiness and crash compatibility for various modes of transportation or related systems and components.

Automotive safety is the study and practice of automotive design, construction, equipment and regulation to minimize the occurrence and consequences of traffic collisions involving motor vehicles. Road traffic safety more broadly includes roadway design.

The Acura TSX is a compact executive car manufactured by Honda and sold through its Acura division from 2003 to 2014. The TSX spanned two generations, both derived from the corresponding Japanese/European versions of the Honda Accord, which were more compact and sporting-oriented than its larger North American counterpart, the latter platform which also used for the Acura TL which slotted above the TSX in Acura's lineup. All TSXs were built in Sayama, Saitama, Japan.

A bumper is a structure attached to or integrated with the front and rear ends of a motor vehicle, to absorb impact in a minor collision, ideally minimizing repair costs. Stiff metal bumpers appeared on automobiles as early as 1904 that had a mainly ornamental function. Numerous developments, improvements in materials and technologies, as well as greater focus on functionality for protecting vehicle components and improving safety have changed bumpers over the years. Bumpers ideally minimize height mismatches between vehicles and protect pedestrians from injury. Regulatory measures have been enacted to reduce vehicle repair costs and, more recently, impact on pedestrians.

The European New Car Assessment Programme is a European voluntary car safety performance assessment programme based in Leuven, Belgium. Formed in 1996, the first results were released in February 1997. It was originally started by the Transport Research Laboratory for the UK Department for Transport but later backed by several European governments, as well as by the European Union (EU). Their slogan is "For Safer Cars".

The Acura MDX is a mid-size luxury crossover SUV with three-row seating produced by the Japanese automaker Honda under its luxury Acura division since 2000. The alphanumeric moniker stands for "Multi-Dimensional" luxury. It has ranked as the second-best selling mid-size luxury SUV after the Lexus RX in the U.S.

The Acura RL is a mid-size luxury car that was manufactured by the Acura division of Honda for the 1996–2012 model years over two generations. The RL was the flagship of the marque, having succeeded the Acura Legend, and was replaced in 2013 by the Acura RLX. All models of the Legend, RL and RLX lines have been adapted from the Japanese domestic market Honda Legend. The model name "RL" is an abbreviation for "Refined Luxury."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insurance Institute for Highway Safety</span> U.S. nonprofit organization

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and Highway Loss Data Institute (IIHS-HLDI) is an American nonprofit organization. It was established in 1959, and it is noted for its safety reviews of vehicles in various simulated traffic situations, including the effectiveness of a vehicle's structural integrity and safety systems during a collision, in addition to examining improvement on such elements.

A side collision is a vehicle crash where the side of one or more vehicles is impacted. These crashes typically occur at intersections, in parking lots, and when two vehicles pass on a multi-lane roadway.

The Honda Mobilio is a seven-seat mini MPV produced by the Japanese automaker Honda. The first-generation Mobilio that was produced from 2001 to 2008 and sold exclusively in Japan. It was the second model in Honda's "Small Max" series and also took Honda's Global Small Platform and their i-DSI engine. In May 2008, the Freed was introduced, replacing the first-generation model. The second-generation Mobilio, which is based on the Brio, was introduced in September 2013 and went on sale in January 2014 for several emerging markets.

A collision avoidance system (CAS), also known as a pre-crash system, forward collision warning system (FCW), or collision mitigation system, is an advanced driver-assistance system designed to prevent or reduce the severity of a collision. In its basic form, a forward collision warning system monitors a vehicle's speed, the speed of the vehicle in front of it, and the distance between the vehicles, so that it can provide a warning to the driver if the vehicles get too close, potentially helping to avoid a crash. Various technologies and sensors that are used include radar (all-weather) and sometimes laser (LIDAR) and cameras to detect an imminent crash. GPS sensors can detect fixed dangers such as approaching stop signs through a location database. Pedestrian detection can also be a feature of these types of systems.

Honda Advanced Technology is part of Honda's long-standing research and development program focused on building new models for their automotive products and automotive-related technologies, with many of the advances pertaining to engine technology. Honda's research has led to practical solutions ranging from fuel-efficient vehicles and engines, to more sophisticated applications such as the humanoid robot, ASIMO, and the Honda HA-420 Honda-jet, a six-passenger business jet.

The Acura TLX is a four-door entry-level luxury sedan sold by Acura, a luxury division of Honda, since 2014. It is the successor to both the TL and TSX models. As of 2021, the discontinuation of the RLX leaves the TLX as the flagship sedan in Acura's lineup.

Adrian Hobbs is a person who specializes in vehicle crashworthiness with a background in accident and injury investigation/analysis.

The GlobalNew Car Assessment Programme is a project of the Towards Zero Foundation, a UK-registered charity. The programme serves as an umbrella organisation encouraging co-operation between the various New Car Assessment Programmes around the world, and supports campaigns to inform consumers about the safety of vehicles in markets that are weakly regulated or do not yet have their own consumer safety programmes.

The Škoda Slavia is a subcompact sedan (B-segment) manufactured by Škoda primarily for the Indian market. It was introduced in November 2021 and has been produced since 2022. Built on the MQB A0 IN platform adapted for India, the vehicle is based on the Volkswagen Virtus sedan. The Slavia replaced the Volkswagen Polo-based Rapid.

Fiat ESVs are a small series of prototypes built by Fiat in the early 1970s, intended for research on passive safety features.

References

↑ "Corporate Milestones". Honda Worldwide. 2015-03-09. Archived from the original on 2015-03-09. Retrieved 2023-09-09.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "Corporate Milestones". Honda Worldwide. 2015-03-09. Archived from the original on 2015-03-09. Retrieved 2023-09-09.

[1]