Active bolster for pedestrian protection

Vehicle apparatus, comprising:

• an instrument panel body extending across a passenger cabin beneath a windshield and including a pedestrian protection zone along a forward side, wherein the instrument panel body generally has a stiffness that is sufficiently low to avoid generating an impact force in the pedestrian protection zone greater than a predetermined force;
• an accessory component mounted within the pedestrian protection zone at the instrument panel body having an associated stiffness that generates an impact force in the pedestrian protection zone greater than the predetermined force;
• a cover providing a trim surface over the instrument panel body at the pedestrian protection zone having an annular wall region between an inner tear seam and an outer tear seam which encompass the accessory component;
• an annular bladder wall joined to the annular wall region forming a substantially toroidal expandable chamber;
• an inflator arranged to supply an inflation gas into the expandable chamber during an impact of a pedestrian into the pedestrian protection zone to tear the tear seams and expand the expandable chamber above the instrument panel body to intercept the pedestrian prior to impacting the accessory component.