Six of 13 small cars recently evaluated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety earn the TOP SAFETY PICK award, and none earn a poor rating in any of 4 tests. This is a turnaround from a few years ago when small cars struggled to earn top safety ratings. The new tests include hybrids and gasoline-only models that are among the most fuel-efficient vehicles available in the U.S. market.
The ratings are based on performance in front, side, rollover, and rear impact evaluations. Cars that earn the top rating of good in each test and have available electronic stability control (ESC) qualify for TOP SAFETY PICK. Winners are the 2012 Ford Focus and Honda Civic, along with the 2011 Hyundai Elantra, Lexus CT 200h hybrid, Nissan Juke, and Toyota Prius hybrid. The Civic, CT 200h, Elantra, Focus, and Prius have at least one version with a government fuel economy rating of at least 40 miles per gallon on the highway. The Dodge Caliber, Honda CR-Z and Insight hybrids, Nissan Sentra and Versa, Scion xD, and Suzuki SX4 also were rated but didn’t earn TOP SAFETY PICK.
The latest small overlap front crash test results from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reveal a range of performance among many of the best-selling small cars in the U.S. market. Of the 12 models evaluated, half earn a good or acceptable rating and qualify for the IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ award.
The 2-door and 4-door models of the Honda Civic are the only small cars to earn the top rating of good in the test. IIHS evaluated the Civics earlier this year and released the results in March. The Dodge Dart, Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra and 2014 model Scion tC earn acceptable ratings.
Honda will launch the new Civic at the IAA Frankfurt Motor Show in September. In the build-up to the reveal of the new Civic, Honda is releasing a series of short form films detailing its development. Developed specifically for the European market, the new Civic will be offered exclusively as a five-door hatchback and will compete in the C-segment. It will reach European showrooms in early 2012.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/51356-honda-motor-europe/
The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have partnered to help new-car dealers reduce their energy consumption through the Energy Star program.
As part of this effort, NADA and EPA are encouraging dealerships to complete a brief survey that will give the agency a benchmark to better compare the energy usage of dealerships across the country and allow certification of those dealerships that perform well. The survey (www.nada.org/energystar) asks dealers to share their yearly utility bills, square footage—inside and out—and different types of equipment used at the dealership.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/53463-nada-launches-energy-ally-program-to-help-dealerships-reduce-energy-use
A warm summer Saturday. An amusement park. David Harwood is glad to be spending some quality time with his wife, Jan, and their four-year-old son. But what begins as a pleasant family outing turns into a nightmare after an inexplicable disappearance. As David struggles to restore his family, he discovers that the people we’re most close to are the ones with the biggest secrets. Never Look Away Linwood Barclay Trailer Available now from Delacorte Press Find out more about this author here http://www.linwoodbarclay.com/news.html Find out more about this book http://tiny.cc/uexEj Suspense Thriller
When a Yank and an Aussie stop selling cars and head off into the Outback to write the books they have within, it is the things they say to each other that hurt far more than the things they do. Fist fights and adultery can be forgiven, but what’s said, can never be unsaid. Learn more about this book here, http://neverbeunsaid.com Literary Fiction
Things defying gravity and floating away into the sky, people flying and unimaginable objects gliding around have all fascinated us forever. Our television and films have routinely offered us computer-generated treats that seem astonishingly real. While theatre and Live entertainment slowly regains our attention, There is a need to have this same magic of flight recreated on stage. Live. There’s a need to have dancers perform in thin air, of cars ‘driving’ up the sides of buildings, of a superstar ‘flying’ onto the stage in front of our very eyes. And there is a crying need for doing all this with utmost safety.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/71400522-natura-aerial-rigging-flying-safe-and-effortless
An inaugural national research report released today from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and State Farm Insurance Companies® shows that the impact of teen driver crashes extends far beyond teen drivers’ families and friends. In 2008, more than half a million (681,000) people were involved in crashes where a teen driver was behind the wheel. More than 40,000 were injured, and nearly 30 percent of those who died in these crashes were not in cars driven by teens.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/47737-Miles-to-Go-Teen-Driver-Safety/
With just under a month to go until the 2015 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) opens its doors to the international press Jan. 12–13, the good news continues to pour into Detroit. One of the most important automotive events on the planet, NAIAS is consistently the strategic choice of global automakers to launch their new products on Detroit’s world stage.
“Consumer confidence is high, production numbers and automotive sales continue to climb, and the global industry is stronger than it’s been in years. And our manufacturer partners have committed to bring their most important, global vehicle reveals to Detroit,” said Scott LaRiche, chairman, NAIAS 2015.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7354351-naias-2015-cobo-center/
Volvo Cars has chosen the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit to launch its new signature premium sedan, the S90, underscoring its long term commitment to the U.S. market and providing a clear sign of its confidence in continued sales growth in the coming year.
Volvo sales in the U.S. increased 24.3 per cent in 2015, with an especially strong performance at the end of the year with sales rising 87 per cent in October, 90 per cent in November and 89.9 per cent in December, driven by continued strong sales of the XC60 crossover and the new XC90 SUV.
“There are strong indications that Volvo is back on track in the U.S.,” said Lex Kerssemakers, Senior Vice President of the Americas at Volvo Car Group. “We expect this strong sales momentum to continue in 2016, helped by the new S90.”
The launch of the S90 highlights the ambition of the Swedish car maker, following an $11bn investment and the recent breaking of ground in Charleston, South Carolina, where Volvo Cars will build its first American production facility, employing around 2,000 workers.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7709951-kbb-naias-2016-detroit/
Think “muscle car” performance, and images of speed and power are more likely to come to mind than crash tests and safety ratings. Because no one buys a sports car to drive in the slow lane, the best all-¬ around occupant crash protection is crucial. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently put a trio of iconic sports coupes through their paces, and unlike more sedate sedans, none earns the scores needed to clinch a TOP SAFETY PICK award.
IIHS evaluated 2016 models of the Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Challenger and Ford Mustang in the full battery of crashworthiness evaluations. The Mustang comes closest to earning TOP SAFETY PICK, while the Camaro falls shortin one category and lacks an available front crash prevention system. The Challenger is most in need of improvement.
To qualify for TOP SAFETY PICK, vehicles must earn good ratings in the small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint evaluations and have a basic-¬rated front crash prevention system. To qualify for the Institute’s highest award, TOP SAFETY PICK+, vehicles must earn good ratings in the five crashworthiness tests and an advanced or superior rating for front crash prevention.
