More Ford cars are approved as allergy-friendly

Written By: Abbie Smith

With Spring finally here and the warmer weather starting to make an appearance, pollen counts will begin to rise and that means an estimated 80 million people across Europe will start to suffer with hay fever and other allergies.

That’s why the Ford vehicle development team are no doubt celebrating their latest achievement, having two more models from the Ford range receive the ‘Allergy Tested Interior’ seal of approval by the TÜV Rheinland testing authority.

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Both the new Ford C-Max and the Grand C-Max have been given the accolade, joining the Fiesta, Mondeo, S-Max, Galaxy and Kuga in Ford’s list of certified models.

Ford was also awarded a ‘Quality Certificate’ by the European Centre for Allergy Research Foundation, which is based in Berlin.

The Ford development teams make a huge effort to ensure that their cars are allergy friendly, by testing more than 100 materials and other components for any potential allergy problems.

Each car that has been approved as allergy-friendly is fitted with a high performance pollen filter that prevents pollens and other allergens from entering the car.

Parts of the car that have any direct or prolonged skin contact, such as the steering wheel or the seat covers, are dermatologically-tested too.

Engineers also try to avoid, or at least minimize, the use of certain materials which can trigger an allergic reaction in some people, such as nickel, chrome and latex.

The materials used in the new Ford C-Max models were specifically chosen to minimize the risk of allergies to sufferers. The TÜV certification is only achieved after a series of thorough scientific tests for harmful substances and allergy causing agents.

Caspar Dirk Hohage, engineering director for Ford of Europe, said: “We are the only vehicle manufacturer in the world with cars that are independently verified and certificated as allergy-tested by the TÜV.”

“We want to give our customers the best vehicle design, performance and quality, and the best passenger environment. That is why we are doing all we can to avoid or reduce to the absolute minimum all materials and substances that may pose an allergic risk.”