Acura MDX and RDX luxury SUVs earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) 2008 TOP SAFETY PICK Award, the IIHS' highest honor. The annual award recognizes vehicles that do the best job of protecting vehicle occupants involved in front, side, and rear crashes based on ratings in IIHS tests.
The TOP SAFETY PICK is earned by a small percentage of vehicles sold in America. In an effort to further improve safety, IIHS announced for 2008 that only vehicles with Electronic Stability Control, branded as Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®) on Acura vehicles, and advanced head restraints will qualify for its top safety honor. VSA® helps drivers maintain control during emergency driving maneuvers when their vehicle might otherwise lose control.
Every Acura vehicle includes as standard equipment Vehicle Stability Assist™ along with a host of other standard safety equipment including dual-stage/dual-threshold front airbags with Occupant Position Detection System, automatic tensioning front seatbelts with load limiters, specially designed energy-absorbing front end architecture to enhance crash safety, Tire Pressure Monitoring System, and Daytime Running Lights.
"Safety remains a paramount concern for all Acura vehicles," said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of sales. "Occupant protection is at the forefront of every vehicle that Acura designs."
In addition to TOP SAFETY PICK awards for its SUVs, Acura's RL, TL, and TSX sedans all receive GOOD ratings in IIHS frontal offset tests. Further evidence highlighting Acura's outstanding safety are 5-Star ratings1 (the highest rating possible) for all its vehicles awarded from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) in governmental frontal offset crash tests.
Acura offers a full line of technologically advanced performance luxury vehicles through a network of 268 dealers within the United States. The 2008 Acura lineup features five distinctive models including the RL luxury performance sedan, the TL performance luxury sedan, the TSX sports sedan, the turbocharged RDX luxury crossover SUV and the award-winning MDX luxury sport utility vehicle.
For additional information about Acura vehicles, please visit www.acura.com. For media inquiries please go to www.acuranews.com.
* Government star ratings are part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA's) New Car Assessment Program (www.safercar.gov).
