Insurance Institute for Highway Safety selects Audi A3, Audi A4 and Audi Q5 as 2011 Top Safety Picks
The influential Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) chose three Audi models – the Audi A3, Audi A4 andAudi Q5 – as 2011 TOP SAFETY PICK winners.
With its TOP SAFETY PICK list, IIHS recognizes vehicles that do the best job of protecting people in front, side, rollover, and rear crashes based on good ratings in Institute tests. Winners also must have available electronic stability control, a crash avoidance feature that significantly reduces crash risk. The ratings help consumers pick vehicles that offer a higher level of protection than federal safety standards require.
Last year the Institute toughened criteria for TOP SAFETY PICK by adding a requirement that all qualifiers must earn a good rating for performance in a roof strength test to assess protection in a rollover crash.
Overall, the Institute selected 66 vehicles for its highest honor. This marks the third year in a row that these three Audi models have earned the Institute’s top recognition.
“Safety stands at the forefront of Audi vehicle development, so it’s rewarding when an evaluator with the credibility of IIHS recognizes this work,” said Johan de Nysschen, President, Audi of America.
“Safety is a priority among this crop of winners,” said Adrian Lund, IIHS President. “From the start these manufacturers set out to design vehicles that would
earn TOP SAFETY PICK, even though we’ve made it harder to win.”
ABOUT AUDI
Audi of America, Inc. and its 276 U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally. During 2009 Audi outsold all other luxury brands in Europe, while in the U.S. market Audi posted the largest market share gain of any luxury automotive brand. Between 2010 and 2012 the Audi Group is planning to invest around €5.5 billion, mainly in new products, in order to sustain the Company’s technological lead. Visit www.audiusa.com or www.audiusanews.com for more information regarding Audi vehicle and business issues.