Near-luxury cars, some of which are known as "sport sedans", were early beneficiaries of airbag technology.
Airbag availability in near-luxury cars kicked off in 1986, when Mercedes-Benz made a driver airbag standard across their entire lineup, including their low-end 190 model.
For '87, the Volvo 700 Series received an optional driver airbag on some high-end models.
For '88, the Saab 9000 Turbo received an optional driver airbag.
1989 saw no changes to airbag availability among this group of cars.
1990 saw several of these vehicles receive a driver airbag. The Lexus and Infiniti brands launched, the Lexus ES and Infiniti M30 including a driver airbag as standard. All four of the Swedish cars made a driver airbag standard this year, for the lower-end models, the Saab 900 and Volvo 240, it was their first airbag, while the Saab 9000 and Volvo 700 Series made previously optional airbags standard. The BMW 3-Series and Audi 80 also made driver airbags standard this year.
1991 was a carbon copy of 1990; no changes in airbag availability.
1992 saw the Acura Vigor and Mitsubishi Diamante debut, both with a standard driver airbag. Nissan made a driver airbag optional on the Maxima. The Mazda 929, previously bagless, received dual airbags as standard.
For 1993, the Eagle Vision launched, featuring dual airbags. The Volvo 850 replaced the 240; the 850 came with dual airbags standard. The Volvo 900 Series and Acura Vigor each made a passenger bag optional. The Infiniti M30 was replaced by the J30, which came with standard dual airbags, while the Infiniti G20 made the leap from no airbags to dual airbags during mid-model year. The Nissan Maxima made its driver airbag standard.
For 1994, the Volvo 900 Series and Acura Vigor made dual airbags standard; the passenger airbag had previously been optional. The Saab 900 and 9000, Mercedes C-Class (which replaced the 190), BMW 3-Series, Audi 90, Lexus ES, and Mitsubishi Diamante also made dual airbags standard; these models had previously been equipped with only a driver airbag. The Acura Integra, bagless up to this point, received standard dual airbags.
For 1995, the Nissan Maxima received standard dual airbags.
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