EPP-A or Emergency Pneumatic Protection and Absorption, has been under development at the car producer's R&D division for some time. It is finally available for the E46 3-series sedans and coupes, as part of an upgrade to boost the safety feature set of the aforementioned cars. Existing impact sensors are used to measure the severity of a crash as it happens, possibly also anticipating the occurence of an auto accident. Depending on the vehicle's speed, direction, and tire slippage data obtained from the onboard DSC computer, EPP-A will deploy air-assisted shock absorbers from behind specially designed body panels to help quell the energy that would otherwise be contributing to the severity of the accident. Additional sensors are installed to help better predict auto accidents, these are mounted in the A, B and C pillars on sedans, and the A and C pillars on coupes. The pneumatic shock absorbers themselves are lightweight and do not contribute significantly to the weight of the car. Crafted from a material similar to kevlar which is both fireproof and tear-resistant, the system works not unlike that of the Mars Pathfinder lander, in that if necessary, it can deploy the pneumatic shock absorbers to all sides of the car, enveloping it in a cocoon of safety. This safety option comes at a premium and will be available on late 2002 3-series sedans as well as coupes. 3-series convertibles will not be receiving this upgrade due to the impressive safety of its already existing Rollover Protection System.

KSS, the Kabinenschutzsystem, or in English, the cabin protection system, was first conceived by Swedish auto engineer Ingolf Lindau in an effort to further reduce injuries caused by auto accidents worldwide. BMW is proud to bring you the first production implementation of this system, known internally as Foamtronic. Using the vehicle's airbag sensors in addition to new ultrasonic interior sensors embedded in the trim, the KSS computer predicts the motion vectors of the vehicle occupants during the crash. Fifteen spray nozzles are located in the interior of the vehicle, each of which can be controlled individually by the KSS computer. In the event of a very severe crash, the KSS system will spray variable amounts of soft insulation foam throughout the vehicle. This foam, co-developed by BMW and chemical giant DuPont, is non-toxic and provides an energy-absorbing quality similar to that of polystyrene, without being as hard. This foam, code-named R-34-F, contains no harmfil solvents and hardens from a liquid to an air-filled solid in the range of thirty to forty milliseconds. The product of fusion of R-34-F is mostly oxygen, to help the occupants of the vehicle breathe in the event of an auto accident. The 5.4 liter tank of foam is located next to the spare tire in the trunk, and contains enough foam liquid to fill the complete cabin in the event of a serious accident such as a rollover. BMW also believs that the foam will aid crash investigation authorities in determining the conditions of a crash, because the R-34-F stays hardened until cut open, providing valuable information for crash scientists wishing to, for example, create plaster molds of the occupants at the time of the crash. This option will be standard on all 3-series sedans, coupes and convertibles starting January 2002.

Just kidding. =)