Autoliv (Shanghai) Vehicle Safety Systems Co., Ltd.

Autoliv integrates airbags, seatbelts, steering wheels and restraint control modules into an integrated passive restraint safety system for vehicle manufacturers. The portfolio covers the complete chain from crash sensing and decision triggering to airbag deployment and belt restraint, forming the core of Autoliv's Passive Safety business.

Occupant coverage: front + second row; System response time: millisecond level; Vehicle fitment: mainstream global passenger-car OEMs; Precision parts per seatbelt system: approx. 140

• Passenger-car occupant restraint protection
• Full-vehicle passive safety integration

Frontal airbags provide an energy-absorbing cushion between occupants and the steering wheel, instrument panel or windshield in a frontal crash. The driver airbag is mounted in the steering wheel hub and the passenger airbag in the instrument panel. Together with seatbelts they significantly reduce frontal-crash fatality and severe head-injury rates.

Deployment time: <30 ms; Driver fatality reduction: approx. 25% (belted); Passenger fatality reduction: approx. 20% (belted); Operating temperature: -40 to 105°C

• Frontal-crash occupant protection in passenger cars
• Passive restraint combined with seatbelts

The front center airbag is mounted on the inboard side of the driver seat and deploys vertically between the two front occupants in far-side crashes, preventing front occupants from striking each other or contacting hard interior structures. Autoliv has more than 20 years of research in this field and introduced the Bernoulli inflation technology.

Deployment direction: vertical, between the two front occupants; Trigger condition: side impact only; Weight-saving technology: Bernoulli airbag; Research experience: over 20 years

• Far-side crash occupant protection in passenger cars
• Protection against occupant-to-occupant contact in the front row

Side airbags are typically integrated into the seats and inflate between the occupant and the door. Dual-chamber versions protect the pelvis and thorax simultaneously, further reducing the risk of severe injury in side impacts.

Thorax injury risk reduction: approx. 25%; Chamber configuration: single or dual chamber; Mounting location: seat backrest side; Deployment time: millisecond level

• Side-impact occupant protection in passenger cars
• Cushioning of door intrusion

The side curtain airbag deploys downward from the roof rails and trim along the side windows, cushioning occupants' heads in side impacts and rollovers and reducing the risk of ejection from the vehicle. In 1998 Autoliv launched the world's first two-row inflatable curtain on the Volvo S80.

Full deployment time: <30 ms (0.030 s); Head fatality risk reduction: approx. 50%; Occupant size coverage: 5th to 95th percentile; Optional function: ejection mitigation

• Head protection in side impacts of passenger cars
• Ejection mitigation in rollover accidents
• Commercial-vehicle curtains (trucks and buses)

Knee airbags deploy from the lower instrument panel, distributing crash forces across the occupant's legs to reduce leg and knee injuries while controlling occupant kinematics so that frontal and other airbags deliver their best protection. Autoliv introduced the world's first knee airbag.

Deployment position: lower instrument panel; Protected area: legs and knees; Synergy function: occupant kinematics optimization; Operating temperature: -40 to 105°C

• Lower-limb protection in frontal crashes of passenger cars
• Occupant position restraint

The pedestrian protection line comprises the external Pedestrian Protection Airbag (PPA) and Active Hood Lifters. Pioneered by Autoliv in 2012, the PPA is the largest external airbag on the market, deploying outside the vehicle along the A-pillar/windshield area to cushion a pedestrian's head impact. Active Hood Lifters use pyrotechnic actuators to rapidly raise the rear edge of the hood, increasing clearance from hard engine-bay structures and absorbing impact energy.

PPA deployment zone: exterior A-pillar/windshield; Innovation year: 2012; Hood-lift method: pyrotechnic actuator; Protected party: pedestrian and VRU head

• Head protection in pedestrian-vehicle collisions
• Passive protection for vulnerable road users (VRU)
• Exterior protection for autonomous vehicles

In 2025 Autoliv introduced the world's first cyclist-pedestrian protection airbag, the second generation of its pedestrian protection airbag. With larger coverage it enhances head protection for cyclists in collisions. It is mounted outside the vehicle and deploys within milliseconds.

Launch year: 2025; Generation: second; Deployment position: exterior of the vehicle; Deployment time: millisecond level

• Head protection for cyclists in collisions
• Exterior pedestrian impact protection

The retractor, pretensioner and load limiter are the core mechanisms of the seatbelt system. Inside the retractor, a spool stores the webbing and locks via vehicle- or webbing-sensitive sensors during acceleration, deceleration or tilting. In a crash the pyrotechnic pretensioner tightens the belt to secure the occupant, while load-limiting technology lowers the risk of severe chest injury; adaptive load limiters adjust the restraint force according to crash severity and occupant characteristics.

Precision parts per system: approx. 140; Operating temperature: -40 to 105°C; Pretensioning type: pyrotechnic; Load limiter type: fixed or adaptive

• Crash occupant restraint in passenger cars
• Advanced restraint systems for commercial vehicles

The buckle and tongue form the releasable connecting parts of the seatbelt system, allowing occupants to fasten and unfasten easily while providing critical crash performance and ensuring safe post-crash release. With controlled buckle opening force, they secure occupant protection and post-crash accessibility in severe conditions such as side impacts; pyrotechnic pretensioning can be integrated, and a wide range of shapes, colors and surface finishes is available to match interior styling.

Safety feature: controlled buckle opening force; Optional integration: pyrotechnic pretensioner; Customization: multiple shapes, colors and finishes; Operating temperature: -40 to 105°C

• Seatbelt connection in passenger cars
• Commercial-vehicle seatbelt systems

Seatbelt webbing is the critical link between occupant and vehicle, spreading crash forces over the occupant's skeletal structure for optimal protection. It must also be comfortable and durable enough to resist radiation, light exposure and abrasion, and is offered in a wide range of colors and patterns to match vehicle interiors.

Function: distribution of crash forces to the skeleton; Durability: resistant to radiation, light and abrasion; Customization: multiple colors and patterns; Operating temperature: -40 to 105°C

• Passenger-car seatbelts
• Commercial-vehicle seatbelts

The height adjuster is one of the anchorage points between the three-point belt and the vehicle body. It adjusts the position of the D-ring that guides the webbing out of the B-pillar so that the belt sits comfortably and at the optimum position relative to the occupant's chest while driving. Vehicles without this module achieve similar functionality through seat and cushion-height adjustment.

Function: adjustment of the D-ring position; Connection property: three-point belt anchorage; Alternative solution: seat and cushion-height adjustment; Operating temperature: -40 to 105°C

• Seatbelt anchorage height adjustment in passenger cars
• Occupant comfort optimization

The pre-pretensioner belongs to the active safety domain: in the pre-crash phase it receives a command from the safety ECU, and a reversible mechatronic module retracts the webbing slightly on the spool, removing slack and bringing the occupant closer to the optimal restraint position to reduce pre-crash displacement. If the hazard disappears the tension is released in a controlled way; the system is repeatedly activatable and can also provide convenience functions such as haptic warnings.

Activation phase: pre-crash; Trigger source: safety ECU; Reversibility: repeatedly activatable; Additional functions: haptic warning and parking assist

• Active-safety pre-restraint
• ADAS and AEB integration

The steering wheel is a key component of the restraint system: the driver airbag sits at the center of its hub, and wheel design directly affects airbag crash performance as well as visual integration with the airbag. The armature is made of metals such as magnesium, aluminum or steel, over-molded with soft polyurethane foam and optionally wrapped in hand-stitched leather or wood; some wheels integrate a motor for vibration warnings, and heated rims are available for cold climates. Autoliv produces more than 20 million units per year.

Annual output: over 20 million units; Armature materials: magnesium, aluminum or steel; Covering: PU foam plus leather or wood; Optional functions: heating and haptic-feedback motor

• Passenger-car passive safety and interior styling
• Commercial-vehicle steering wheels

The foldable steering wheel is Autoliv's first product of its kind developed for automated driving. When the vehicle switches to autonomous mode it folds away seamlessly into the instrument panel, opening up the cabin; in manual driving the driver airbag inside the wheel provides protection, while in autonomous mode an integrated passenger airbag in the instrument panel deploys, delivering dual airbag protection across both modes.

Pioneering: world-first foldable design for automated driving; Folding target: stowed into the instrument panel; Dual airbags: driver plus passenger; Modes: manual and autonomous driving

• Autonomous-driving cockpits
• Adaptive safety

Airbag inflators generate gas of a specific composition, temperature and controlled rate to fill the airbag during a crash. Autoliv offers pyrotechnic inflators (solid propellant producing harmless nitrogen-based gas that is easily cooled and de-particulated through a filter), hybrid inflators (compressed inert gas plus a small pyrotechnic charge, with lower exhaust temperature, fewer particles and customizable performance) and stored-gas/cold-gas inflators (high-pressure gas released under control, using nitrous oxide or helium for side-impact and head-protection units), in single- and two-stage versions that meet the world's most stringent regulations and customer requirements.

Technology routes: pyrotechnic, hybrid or stored gas; Gas type: nitrogen-based (pyrotechnic); Staging: single-stage or two-stage; Operating temperature: -40 to 105°C

• Airbag inflation in passenger cars
• Inflators for side-impact and head protection

Initiators resemble spark plugs in design: triggered electrically, they detonate to provide reliable, tunable ignition of the gas-generating agent, matching inflator assemblies of different shapes. Glass-to-metal sealing technology is used, interfaces can be customized to customer requirements, and axial or radial output orientations are supported.

Construction: glass-to-metal seal; Output orientation: axial or radial; Triggering: electric initiation; Customization: customer-specific interfaces

• Airbag ignition
• Adaptation to inflator assemblies

Micro gas generators use inflation principles similar to those of large airbag inflators but in a much smaller package, and can be integrated into pyrotechnic seatbelt pretensioner products as a compact gas source for belt pretensioning.

Size: micro; Inflation principle: same as large inflators; Integration target: pyrotechnic seatbelt pretensioners; Operating temperature: -40 to 105°C

• Gas source for seatbelt pretensioners
• Compact inflation devices

Autoliv produces high-strength, heat-resistant and flame-retardant woven airbag fabrics and cushions, as well as seatbelt webbing. Airbag textiles must be airtight and withstand high-pressure, high-temperature propellant gases and heavy impact loads; the same high-strength, impermeable and heat-resistant woven fabrics have also been extended to non-automotive inflatable applications such as wearables.

Material properties: high strength, heat resistance and flame retardancy; Air permeability: airtight; Temperature endurance: high-pressure hot propellant gas; Extended applications: non-automotive wearables

• Airbag fabrics and cushions
• Seatbelt webbing
• Wearable inflatable products

The Pyro Safety Switch, also known as the pyro fuse, is an irreversible mechanical switch activated by an external signal from the BMS or airbag control unit in critical situations where electrical safety is paramount. Pyrotechnic energy drives a piston that severs the busbar, stopping the current instantly. It prevents electrical fires and electric shock within milliseconds, protecting vehicle occupants and first responders; it suits low-voltage and high-voltage systems up to 1000 V and is widely adopted by light-vehicle OEMs. The portfolio spans models PSS-1 to PSS-6, covering different voltage classes as well as compact, dual-signal and discharge-function configurations.

Model: PSS-1 to PSS-6; Maximum voltage: 1000 V; Response time: sub-millisecond; Disconnect method: irreversible mechanical busbar separation; Trigger source: BMS or airbag control unit

• EV battery system protection
• Conventional vehicle electrical systems
• Photovoltaic and wind power equipment
• Battery energy storage systems (BESS)
• Fuel cell technology
• Charging stations

A pyrotechnic actuator contains a piston driven by an initiator; the piston acts on a mechanism to open, remove, push, pull, pierce or eject an object within milliseconds, with different push/pull forces, stroke lengths and forces available on demand. In vehicles they rapidly release steering columns, unlock doors, deploy head restraints or pretension seatbelts to protect occupants; in stationary equipment they provide customized electrical safety solutions for high-voltage circuit breakers and bypass switches.

Response time: milliseconds; Motion types: push, pull, pierce or eject; Customizable: stroke length and force; Scope: vehicles plus high-voltage substation equipment

• Vehicle occupant safety (steering-column release, door unlocking, head restraints, pretensioning)
• Customized electrical safety for high-voltage circuit breakers and bypass switches

The airbag control unit is the brain that triggers the vehicle's passive safety systems: its microprocessor decides when to fire seatbelt pretensioners and deploy airbags. The ECU receives data from satellite acceleration sensors mounted in door beams, pillars, sills and the front of the vehicle to achieve appropriate deployment; Autoliv's latest-generation ECU also integrates electronic stability control (ESC) sensors.

Role: decision brain of passive safety; Inputs: satellite acceleration sensors; Integration: ESC sensors (latest generation); Triggered devices: pretensioners plus airbags

• Passive-safety decision triggering in passenger cars
• Seatbelt pretension and airbag deployment control

The ADAS ECU is Autoliv's next-generation control unit developed in response to rapidly growing ADAS fitment. It monitors the surrounding environment and fuses raw data from cameras, radar and other sensors to determine vehicle position and driver intent and to trigger advanced ADAS functions. It delivers the computing power for multi-sensor fusion, environmental perception, scene understanding and vehicle motion planning, built on a scalable architecture to meet different OEM requirements.

Computing: multi-sensor fusion; Inputs: camera, radar and more; Architecture: scalable; Functions: environmental perception plus scene understanding

• Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS)
• Autonomous driving (AD) domain control

Autoliv automotive radar delivers all-weather target detection. Short/mid-range radar covers distances up to about 120 m for ADAS functions such as blind-spot detection and stop-and-go queue assist, while long-range radar serves adaptive cruise control (ACC) and automatic emergency braking (AEB). Autoliv has supplied 77 GHz and 24 GHz radar for vehicles including Mercedes-Benz models.

Frequency bands: 24 GHz and 77 GHz; SMR detection range: approx. 120 m; LRR use cases: ACC plus AEB; Characteristic: all-weather operation

• Blind-spot detection
• Adaptive cruise control (ACC)
• Automatic emergency braking (AEB)

Autoliv's camera-based vision systems give the driver an extra pair of eyes scanning the road ahead. Advanced algorithms recognize and track visible objects such as vehicles, pedestrians, traffic signs and lane markings. Stereo vision offers richer environmental information and higher detection robustness and accuracy than mono vision, and enables road-surface detection; since camera performance degrades in bad weather and darkness, they are usually combined with radar for all-weather capability.

Type: mono or stereo; Recognized objects: vehicles, pedestrians, signs and lanes; Stereo feature: road-surface detection; Combination: usually fused with radar

• Traffic-sign recognition
• Lane keeping and departure assist
• Pedestrian detection and warning

The night vision system is one of Autoliv's active safety electronics. As part of a sensing portfolio that includes radar, vision, infrared and lidar, it enhances detection of road targets in low-light conditions and is a key enabling technology for avoiding or mitigating accidents.

Category: active-safety sensing; Technology: infrared night vision; Purpose: low-light detection; Combination: multi-sensor fusion

• Nighttime pedestrian and obstacle detection
• Active-safety warning

The lidar sensor is one of the advanced sensing technologies in Autoliv's active safety portfolio. Together with radar, vision, infrared and ultrasonic technologies it provides the complementary environmental perception required for autonomous driving (AD) and ADAS.

Category: active-safety sensor; Technology: lidar; Purpose: 3D environmental perception; Combination: multi-sensor fusion

• Environmental perception for autonomous driving
• High-precision detection for ADAS

The driver monitoring system (DMS) is a key enabling technology for advanced active safety and automated driving that Autoliv provides through its partner network. It monitors the driver's state to support decision control in ADAS and autonomous driving.

Category: active safety; Purpose: driver-state monitoring; Support: ADAS and AD; Source: partner network

• Driver fatigue and attention monitoring
• Takeover decisions in autonomous driving

Originating from the MACOM acquisition, the positioning and ADAS Horizon systems deliver highly cost-effective localization and beyond-line-of-sight road-feature preview. Using digital-map road attribute data, GPS information, inertial sensors and even third-party wireless data, the GPS and ADAS Horizon modules achieve precise vehicle positioning and preview road features such as grade, curvature, signs, lanes and elevation, enabling vehicle control systems to make better decisions and paving the way for next-generation automated driving.

Modules: GPS plus ADAS Horizon; Inputs: map data, GPS, inertial and wireless; Output: road-feature preview; Benefit: cost-effective positioning

• Precise vehicle localization
• Road-feature preview for ADAS

Active seatbelts are equipped with motor-driven pretensioners that proactively tighten the webbing when a dangerous situation arises; if the driver successfully avoids the traffic hazard, part of the webbing is released again. The function can also deliver a haptic warning to the driver by vibrating the belt via the pretensioner (for example, for lane changes without signaling), and assists smooth belt retraction during parking, combining safety with comfort.

Actuation: motor-driven pretensioner; Modes: preventive tightening or release after evasion; Extra: haptic warning; Comfort: assisted retraction when parking

• Active-safety pre-restraint
• Haptic warnings to the driver

Brake actuation and control are building blocks on the road to automated driving, integrated with both conventional and new braking systems. Conventional brake actuation builds hydraulic pressure from the driver's pedal input, while brake control and new brake systems use sensors to apply the appropriate pressure for functions such as ESC, ABS and TCS. Autoliv offers these products through ANBS (Autoliv-Nissin Brake Systems), a 51%-controlled joint venture with Nissin Kogyo.

Joint venture: ANBS (51% control); Functions: ESC, ABS and TCS; Types: conventional hydraulic plus new systems; Positioning: building block for automated driving

• Electronic stability control (ESC)
• Anti-lock braking (ABS)
• Traction control (TCS)

Autoliv provides safety solutions from standardized to fully customized for commercial-vehicle segments including light, medium and heavy trucks, buses, material handling, agricultural and construction machinery and side-by-side all-terrain vehicles, covering airbags, seatbelts, steering wheels and pyro fuses for electrical safety. The heavy truck sensor addresses the nuisance-locking problem common in rigid-suspension trucks by integrating Z-axis suppression that limits vibration-induced false locks, improving belt comfort and usability.

Segments: trucks, buses, construction machinery and more; Heavy truck sensor: integrated Z-axis suppression; Products: airbags plus seatbelts, steering wheels and pyro fuses; Delivery: standard or customized

• Occupant protection in trucks and buses
• Rollover protection for construction machinery
• Electrical safety in commercial vehicles

Autoliv advances motorcycle and bicycle safety with a 360-degree holistic safety approach, split into on-motorcycle and on-rider product lines. The on-board airbag system comprises an ECU, airbag module and crash sensors and deploys in frontal impacts; the wearable range includes integrated and compact airbag vests, an airbag backpack, an airbag helmet and an airbag connectivity app that manages the wearables (with emergency-contact function). The integrated airbag vest has been brought to market with RS Taichi, and the on-board airbag is used on the Yamaha Tricity 300 commuter scooter.

Categories: on-motorcycle plus on-rider; On-board system: ECU, module and sensors; Vest partnership: RS Taichi; Production vehicle: Yamaha Tricity 300

• Frontal-crash protection for motorcycles
• Wearable airbag protection for riders
• Bicycle and micromobility safety

Autoliv offers an integrated booster cushion and a specially designed child belt system that together form a vehicle-system solution improving child occupant comfort and safety while reducing misuse risk, as part of its passive safety portfolio.

Type: booster cushion plus dedicated belt system; Target: child occupants; Feature: reduced misuse; Portfolio: passive safety

• Child occupant restraint protection
• Vehicle child-safety systems

Autoliv has completed the first crash test of a concept airbag for e-scooters, with initial results indicating that the airbag can reduce head and chest injuries to e-scooter riders. Mounted on the e-scooter itself, the concept airbag complements the vehicle-mounted Pedestrian Protection Airbag (PPA) that deploys along the A-pillar/windshield area, jointly improving micromobility safety. The program is currently in the proof-of-concept and co-development stage.

Stage: proof of concept (first crash test completed); Mounting: on the e-scooter; Protection: head and chest; Synergy: complements the PPA

• Head and chest protection for e-scooter riders
• Micromobility safety