What was the first production car to offer a pedestrian airbag?

The Volvo V40, introduced in 2012, was the first production car to offer a pedestrian airbag. Unlike an occupant airbag, this device was mounted beneath the rear edge of the hood and deployed outside the passenger compartment after sensors detected a collision with a pedestrian.

When activated, the hood was lifted and the airbag expanded over part of the hood, the lower windshield, and the A-pillars. Those areas are hard structures that can cause serious head injuries, so covering them was intended to soften the impact. The system complemented, rather than replaced, the V40’s pedestrian-detection and braking technologies.

The V40’s innovation is often confused with pedestrian detection, which warns the driver or can apply the brakes before impact. It is also distinct from a pop-up hood, another technology designed to create more space between a pedestrian and rigid engine components. The V40’s pedestrian airbag was a landmark safety feature, but exterior airbags remain much less common than airbags protecting vehicle occupants.