RENAULT'S next Laguna will pioneer a revolutionary new double-action airbag to shield its occupants from injury in high-speed crashes. And the mainstream fleet contender is also poised to feature pace-setting electronic gadgetry when it goes on sale next year.

As the first product to be based on underpinnings which have been developed to carry the French company's next-generation range of luxury cars, the Laguna will premier ground-breaking active and passive safety systems, officials have revealed.

Linked with adaptive safety belts, the new airbag system is claimed to prevent injuries to the driver and front seat passenger at an impact speed as high as 40mph. It utilises two airbags in one package and adapts the level of restraint it offers according to the type of impact shock it senses. By 2002, the company is aiming to follow up the double airbag development by introducing airbags which are built into the straps of seatbelts used by rear seat passengers.