WASHINGTON — Ford, Subaru and Volkswagen sit atop the insurance industry’s annual list of the safest new vehicles, according to an assessment used by car companies to lure safety-conscious drivers to showrooms.
The Virginia-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded its “top safety pick” today to 19 passenger cars and eight sport utility vehicles for the 2010 model year. The institute substantially reduced the number of awards compared with 2009 because of tougher requirements for roof strength.
Ford Motor Co. and its Volvo unit received the most awards with six, followed by five awards apiece for Japanese automaker Subaru and German automaker Volkswagen AG and its Audi unit.
The vehicles are selected for best protecting motorists in front, side and rear crash tests based on the institute’s evaluations during the year. The vehicles are required to have electronic stability control to qualify for the award. Earlier this year, the institute said vehicles would need to receive its highest score in its roof strength evaluation to qualify the safety pick designation.
The Honda Accord and the Ford Fusion both dropped off the list because 2010 versions didn’t earn high enough scores on the roof test.
The Toyota Camry would have made the list, the institute said, if it had received the highest rating in rear crash protection. The institute said the Camry’s seats and head restraints were rated marginal for protection against whiplash injuries.
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