BUMPERS ON 4 OF 6 MIDSIZE SEDANS IMPROVE; NONE EARN GOOD RATING IN LOW-SPEED TESTS
**EMBARGOED UNTIL
Bumpers on 2009 models of the Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Mazda 6, and
Nissan Maxima performed better than their 2007 predecessors in low-speed
crash tests conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Bumpers
on the 2009 Chevrolet Malibu and 2010 Ford Fusion did worse than earlier
models. None of the 6 popular midsize sedans earns the top rating of good in
a recent series of tests designed to assess and compare how well bumpers
resist damage in everyday fender-benders. The Mazda 6 improves to acceptable
from marginal, with an average repair cost of less than
3 and 6 mph. The Accord and Sonata improve to marginal from poor. The Fusion
slips to poor from marginal, and the Maxima and Malibu remain poor.
“Consumers buy midsize cars for practical reasons. There’s nothing
practical about a
traffic,” says
group of vehicles the Institute has evaluated under a new bumper ratings
protocol based on repair costs averaged and weighted to reflect real-world
damage patterns and insurance claims frequency. The Institute rates bumpers
good, acceptable, marginal, or poor based on performance in 4 tests — front
and rear full-width impacts at 6 mph and front and rear corner impacts at 3
mph. Each vehicle is run into a steel barrier designed to mimic the design of
a car bumper, with the barrier’s plastic absorber and flexible cover
simulating typical cars’ energy absorbers and plastic bumper covers. These
tests are designed to drive bumper improvements that lead to better damage
resistance in a range of real-world crashes.
SATELLITE FEED:
Thursday, August 6th, 2009
1:30 PM - 2:00 PM ET
Galaxy 19
C-Band
Transponder 15
Downlink Freq. 4000 Vertical
NEWS: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Releases Crash Test Results
for Midsize Sedans
FORMAT: B-roll and Soundbites
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Video, contact information and more available at:
http://www.prnewswire.com/broadcast/39335/press.html
SOUNDBITES:
* Joe Nolan, senior vice president, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
B-ROLL INCLUDES:
* Crash test footage and other related B-roll
VIDEO PROVIDED BY: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
Contact: FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL: MultiVu Media Relations,
1-800-653-5313 EXT. 3 ; ;
SOURCE Insurance Institute for Highway Safety