USA - Luxury SUV embodies real-life crashworthiness and Volvo’s longtime commitment to safety

In a testament to Volvo’s longtime commitment to passenger protection, the 2014 Volvo XC90 luxury SUV earned a TOP SAFETY PICK+ from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Institute’s top safety award.

To earn TOP SAFETY PICK+, a vehicle must pass a series of crashworthiness evaluations, including the small overlap front test — a real-life scenario that replicates what happens when the front corner of a vehicle strikes another vehicle or an object.

“Small overlap collisions at high speeds are often very severe,” noted Adam Kopstein, safety and compliance manager for Volvo Cars of North America. “For decades, Volvo's research testing has addressed these crash scenarios because our commitment to safety is at the core of our values.”

In its evaluation of the XC90’s performance, IIHS noted:

• Good structural performance in the small overlap front test
• Low risk of any significant injuries in a crash of high severity
• Side torso and side curtain airbags both deployed.

“The XC90’s structural performance was good in the small overlap front test, and the driver’s space was maintained well,” said IIHS in a released statement. “While many vehicles have had to undergo significant structural changes to earn good ratings in the small overlap test, the XC90 has had the same basic platform since 2003.”

Since its launch, Volvo’s XC90 luxury SUV has won acclaim from legions of satisfied customers while receiving many awards internationally. The XC90 upholds a legacy of safety, such as its pioneering introduction of the world’s first Roll Stability Control.

An all-new XC90 will debut at the end of 2014 and go on sale in early 2015. It will feature Volvo’s next-generation safety and driver-support technologies, including Pedestrian Detection in Darkness and Road Edge and Barrier Detection with Steer Assist.

“In a competitive marketplace where every brand tries to stake its own claim to safety, Volvo continues to affirm our leadership,” said Volvo Cars of North America President and CEO Tony Nicolosi. “We very much appreciate the attention IIHS gives to real-life scenarios such as small overlap collisions and are proud of the XC90’s performance.”

The XC90 is the third Volvo model to earn the TOP SAFETY PICK+ accolade since the Institute began testing for small overlap protection in 2012. The 2013 Volvo S60 luxury sedan and 2013 XC60 crossover each earned the prestigious honor during earlier tests.

Other entry level compacts struggle, especially Toyota - Honda still the best among compacts

Gabe Nelson
Automotive News
August 8, 2013 - 12:01 am ET

The Honda Civic is still the only small car to get the top rating on a new test that simulates a severe front-end crash, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says.

IIHS, which is funded by insurance companies, today released another batch of test results for its "small overlap" crash test, which replicates an accident in which the front corner of a car clips another car, a pole or a tree at 40 mph.

The group gave "acceptable" ratings to the Dodge Dart, Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra and 2014 Scion tC, which was enough to earn them Top Safety Pick+ honors.

However, they did not do as well as the two- and four-door Civic, which received "good" ratings earlier this year -- a payoff for Honda engineers in Ohio after they redid the car's front-end architecture to better handle this type of crash.

Automakers generally make greater use of high-strength or hot-formed steel to help cars stand up to small-overlap crashes. The engineering challenge can be daunting because these crashes tend to bypass the structures under the hood that are designed to crumple and absorb the force of a straight-on front-end crash.

Many popular and entry-level small cars struggled with the new test. The Nissan Sentra, Kia Soul and 2014 Kia Forte all received a "poor" rating today while the Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Sonic and Volkswagen Beetle received "marginal" ratings.

"In the worst cases, safety cages collapsed, driver airbags moved sideways with unstable steering columns and the dummy's head hit the instrument panel," IIHS Chief Research Officer David Zuby said in a statement. "Side curtain airbags didn't deploy or didn't provide enough forward coverage to make a difference. All of this adds up to marginal or poor protection in a small-overlap crash."

Starting for model year 2013, the IIHS made an "acceptable" or "good" score on the small-overlap test a prerequisite for Top Safety Pick+ honors, though cars that flunk the test are still eligible for Top Safety Pick plaudits.

The passing grade for the Scion tC coupe is a sign of improvement for Toyota, which drew criticism from IIHS over the past year as top-selling models such as the Camry sedan and RAV4 crossover received low marks on the new test.

IIHS didn't test the 2013 Corolla sedan because it is on the verge of a redesign.

Joe Nolan, the head of the group's testing laboratory, said during a recent interview that Toyota has asked IIHS to test the redesigned 2014 Corolla, Highlander SUV and Prius compact hybrid, as well as the freshened 2014 Camry. He said it was a sign of the automaker's confidence in its efforts to steel those cars against small-overlap crashes.

You can reach Gabe Nelson at gnelson@crain.com.

Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/20130808/OEM11/130809868#ixzz2bOtdyedF
Follow us: @Automotive_News on Twitter | AutoNews on Facebook