Saab 9-4X Crossover and Saab 9-5 Sedan Earn IIHS Top Safety Pick 2012

Trollhättan, Sweden: The Saab 9-4X crossover and the Saab 9-5 Sedan have both earned a ‘Top Safety Pick´ for 2012, the highest rating for crashworthiness awarded by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the United States for a second consecutive year.“Saab Automobile prides itself on its ability to create vehicles which focus on the safety of the driver and its passengers in real-life situations,” said Per Lenhoff, Head of Safety Development at Saab Automobile. “It is rewarding to be recognized by IIHS for a Top Safety Pick award for two of our newest products.”

Saab´s Real-Life Safety philosophy is based on the fact that no two collisions are ever the same. Saab safety engineers continuously study how Saab cars behave in real collisions on public roads. The results of these studies are the basis for continued development of both design and safety solutions in cars as well as Saab´s in-house crash testing methods.

IIHS (www.iihs.org) is a research and communications organization funded by auto insurers in the US. The test procedures include front impact (offset) and side impact crashes. Seat/head restraints are also tested in a simulated rear-end impact to assess the mitigation of whiplash injuries and the roof structure is tested to assess a vehicle rollover crash.

Performance is rated as ´Good´, ´Acceptable´, ´Marginal´ or ´Poor´ in each of the tests and to achieve a ´Top Safety Pick´ award, cars must achieve the highest rating in all four procedures and should also be fitted with ESP®.

Earlier this year, the Saab 9-4X and the Saab 9-5 both earned a Top Safety Pick for 2011.