Volkswagen has the ESP to make ESP standard

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In the car world, ESP is not a subject for an episode of ‘The X-Files.’ It stands for electronic stabilization program. It senses when a driver has overcooked a bend and turns down the heat (apologies to everyone who knows this stuff, but ... y’know). The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has stipulated that such a system must be standard equipment in every model-year 2012 car sold in the U.S.

Volkswagen has stolen a three-year march on this edict by promising to fit ESP as standard in each of its 2009 models, claiming to be the first nonluxury manufacturer to include it at no extra cost. It seems that many buyers of new cars are irked by the fact that ESP isn’t already standard, so VW should be applauded for stepping up to the plate.

The accompanying video shows a couple of with/without ESP instances. VW’s system works in conjunction with the vehicle’s brakes and another piece of electronic wizardry known as anti-slip regulation, helping the driver to maintain control during those tricky driving moments. With ESP systems fitted to every car in America, NHTSA predicts that nearly 10,000 lives a year could be saved.

— Colin Ryan