A trawl through the web site of automotive systems maker Bosch revealed this set of statistics, revealing that the UK lags behind the EU average in the fitment of electronic stability systems (ESP) in new vehicles. For vehicle registrations in 2004, Bosch estimates the following rates of ESP installation:

• EU average: 36%
• Germany: 64%
• France: 39%
• Spain: 30%
• UK: 24%
• Italy: 20%

Given that TVR sports cars can’t entirely account for the UK’s shortfall, it seems likely that the figures are a direct result of manufacturer cost-cutting, in markets that aren’t sensitive to the lack of electronic aids.
Autocar’s campaign to raise the profile of ESP is to be applauded.