Latest Car News From DIGIADS

Latest Car News

New Car Review Areas

General Car Topics

"Top Pick" Honor for Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan in New US Safety Report


December 2005
 Filed under: SAAB Car News | SAAB Headlines
2005-12-05 -- The Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan is a Gold Award winner in the first-ever Top Safety Pick award by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. This finding confirms the high level of occupant protection provided by the Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan, which also received an industry-best five-star rating in EuroNCAP's front- and side-impact crash tests.
The 'Top Safety Pick - Gold Award' is a best-of-the-best distinction that recognizes car designs that provide the best occupant protection in front, side and rear crashes based on Institute testing.

IIHS crash tests result in ratings from good to poor with top performers receiving a "good" and "Best Pick" designation. The 9-3 Sport sedan received a Best Pick in both front and side crash tests.

The IIHS frontal impact test is carried out at 40 mph against a deformable fixed barrier, with a 40 percent driver's side offset.

A deformable barrier constructed to resemble a full-size sport utility vehicle, is propelled at 31 mph against the driver's side of the car to measure side impact protection.

The rear-end test simulates a 20-mph rear impact into a stationary car, during which the front seat/head restraint performance is assessed. The Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan received a 'good' in this test.

"Our priority is always to protect real people in real crashes through the implementation of our Real-life Safety strategy," said Per Lenhoff, head of Crash Safety Development at Saab.

Saab Real-life Safety involves the use of computer simulations and crash tests designed to replicate what happens in real collisions on real roads, based on the findings of a database covering more than 6,100 real-life crashes involving Saab cars on Swedish roads.

During the Saab 9-3 product development program, the 9-3 Sport Sedan's structural design and occupant protection systems were evaluated in consumer and legally required crash tests as well as a large number of in-house configurations taking occupants of different sizes into consideration. Prototype tests were carried out in the laboratory and outdoors in a range of speeds and configurations.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is a non-profit research and communications organization in the United States funded by auto insurers. It investigates the crashworthiness of vehicles and its affiliate organization, the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), processes and publishes data showing how insurance losses for injury, theft and damage repair vary between different vehicles on the market.

Saab is a division of General Motors Corp. Saab USA is the importer and distributor of Saab 9-2X, 9-3, 9-5 and 9-7X automobiles for Saab Automobile AB, Sweden. For more information, please visit www.saabusa.com.

Source: GM

Latest SAAB Headlines

Latest Car News

All images courtesy of and copyright their respective manufacturers, unless otherwise indicated. They may not be reproduced or retransmitted in any way without the express written permission of their respective owners. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Model news and specifications are presented as provided by manufacturer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of DIGIADS. No warranty is made by DIGIADS with respect to the accuracy or timeliness of the information contained herein.
Copyright © 2000-2024 DIGIADS Australia All Rights Reserved. Contact Us
Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of the DIGIADS Privacy Policy and User Agreement. 		Loading...