This result is confirmation that the C-Class safety concept, optimised based on the analysis of real-life accidents, also performs extremely well in standardised rating crash tests. With seven airbags, seatbelt tensioners, belt-force limiters and NECK PRO crash-responsive head restraints fitted as standard, the Saloon offers its occupants an extremely high level of protection should an accident occur. The body structure has been designed to ensure that, in the event of a frontal collision, the impact forces are distributed over a wide area and on four independently acting impact levels, meaning that the passenger cell remains largely unscathed.

Around 70 per cent of all the bodywork panels are made from state-of-the-art, high-strength steel alloys that minimise weight and maximise safety. These steel grades also play a key role in protecting the occupants in the event of a side impact. The quadruple-skinned B-pillars and the side members, which absorb the bulk of any side-impact forces and channel these forces into the body structure, are made partially from ultra-high-strength, hot-formed high-tech steel.

The C-Class safety systems are based on a tried-and-trusted Mercedes concept that takes a holistic approach towards passenger-car safety, with the emphasis firmly on accident avoidance and anticipatory occupant protection.