List of safest new cars almost triples
WASHINGTON — The number of new cars considered the safest by the insurance industry nearly tripled in the last year, helped by automakers’ push to make certain safety equipment more widely available.
Ford Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. had the most vehicles on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s list of safest cars for the 2008 model year. Thirty-four vehicles received the “top safety pick” designation for 2008, compared with 13 from the 2007 model year.
The institute requires new cars and trucks to have electronic stability control, or ESC, to qualify for the award. Many companies are putting the anti-rollover technology into their fleets ahead of a government requirement for the systems by the 2012 model year.
Adrian Lund, the institute’s president, cited studies that had estimated that as many as 10,000 fatal crashes could be avoided annually if all vehicles had the technology.
Ford was represented on the list by the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable cars with optional ESC, and the Ford Edge, Ford Taurus X and Lincoln MKX mid-size sport utility vehicles. The Volvo S80, C70 convertible and XC90 SUV -- part of Ford’s Volvo unit -- made the list.
Honda and its Acura unit had seven vehicles on the list: the Honda Accord, Odyssey, Pilot, CR-V and Element and the Acura MDX and RDX sport utilities. Honda has had stability control on all SUVs, pickups and minivans since the 2007 model year, and the technology is now standard on the Accord.
Subaru and Hyundai Motor Co. each had four vehicles on the list: the Subaru Legacy and Impreza with optional ESC, the Subaru Tribeca and Forester with ESC; the Hyundai Entourage; and the Hyundai Santa Fe and Veracruz built after August. Kia, a subsidiary of Hyundai, had the Sedona minivan on the list.
Toyota Motor Co. had the Highlander SUV on the list, and Volkswagen’s Audi subsidiary was represented by the A3, A4 and A6 passenger cars.
Other vehicles to make the list included the Saab 9-3, the BMW X3 and X5, the Mercedes-Benz M Class, and the Saturn Vue built after December 2007.
The list can be viewed at www.iihs.org.
