Volvo Tops IIHS Safest New Car List

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The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said 72 vehicles earned its “Top Safety Pick†award for 2009, the IIHS said on Tuesday.

Ford Motor (F) and its Volvo division collected 16 winners, the most of any company, while Honda Motor (HMC) and its Acura division had the second-most with 13.

The Honda Fit with optional electronic stability control is the first minicar to earn the TSP designation.

General Motors (GM) and Toyota Motor each had eight vehicles on the list. Chrysler is the only major auto maker without a TSP, the IIHS said.

The count of 72 TSP winners is more than double the amount from 2008, and triple the number from 2007, the IIHS said. It attributed the gains to increasing inclusion of safety equipment such as standard side airbags and electronic stability control as standard in vehicles.

Car makers “have beefed up the side structures of vehicles and added side airbags to do a better job of protecting people in serious side crashes," IIHS president Adrian Lund said in the press release announcing the awards. "They're rapidly adding ESC to prevent crashes, and they're designing seats and head restraints that do a better job of protecting against whiplash."

The 72 winners are listed below:

Large cars

Acura RL

Audi A6

Cadillac CTS

Ford Taurus

Lincoln MKS

Mercury Sable

Toyota Avalon

Volvo S80

Midsize cars

Acura TL, TSX

Audi A3, A4

BMW 3 series 4-door models

Ford Fusion with optional electronic stability control

Honda Accord 4-door models

Mercedes C class

Mercury Milan with optional electronic stability control

Saab 9-3

Subaru Legacy

Volkswagen Jetta, Passat

Midsize convertibles

Saab 9-3

Volkswagen Eos

Volvo C70

Small cars

Honda Civic 4-door models (except Si) with optional electronic stability control

Mitsubishi Lancer with optional electronic stability control

Scion xB

Subaru Impreza with optional electronic stability control

Toyota Corolla with optional electronic stability control

Volkswagen Rabbit

Minicar

Honda Fit with optional electronic stability control

Minivans

Honda Odyssey

Hyundai Entourage

Kia Sedona

Large SUVs

Audi Q7

Buick Enclave

Chevrolet Traverse

GMC Acadia

Saturn Outlook

Midsize SUVs

Acura MDX, RDX

BMW X3, X5

Ford Edge, Flex, Taurus X

Honda Pilot

Hyundai Santa Fe, Veracruz

Infiniti EX35

Lincoln MKX

Mercedes M class

Nissan Murano

Saturn VUE

Subaru Tribeca

Toyota FJ Cruiser, Highlander

Volvo XC90

Small SUVs

Ford Escape

Honda CR-V, Element

Mazda Tribute

Mercury Mariner

Mitsubishi Outlander

Nissan Rogue

Subaru Forester

Toyota RAV4

Volkswagen Tiguan

Large pickups

Ford F-150

Honda Ridgeline

Toyota Tundra

Small pickup

Toyota Tacoma

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