Saabs Earns IIHS “Top Safety Pick” for its 9-4X and 9-5, Which could be Useful if it had Any to Sell...

Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony: the line spoken by Morpheus in the first (and, arguably, best) movie of The Matrix trilogy certainly fits Saab’s case tighter than spandex pants.

The U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has awarded the 9-4X crossover and the 9-5 sedan a “Top Safety Pick”, its highest rating for crashworthiness.

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Shocker: Crash Tests Reveal that Most Cars Sold in Latin America are Deathtraps on Wheels

The FIA Foundation announced the results of the first ever crash tests carried out by the Latin New Car Assessment Program (Latin NCAP), and the news isn’t good for consumers and automakers alike.

Actually, the crash test results reveal a terrifying reality: most of the best selling cars in Latin America’s emerging markets offer minimal or no protection at all to their adult occupants let alone children...

Max Mosley, president of Global NCAP, said: “The latest results of the Latin NCAP reveal that South America’s most popular cars are still about 20 years behind the levels of safety enjoyed in Europe and North America. This cannot be acceptable.”

"We want to see the UN’s global crash test standards applied to all new cars across the world. And we want consumers to be aware of the life and death choices they make when buying a new car," Mosley added.

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Euro NCAP: Two Chinese Models get 4 Stars for Safety, Malibu and Beetle Awarded with 5 Stars

The results are in for Euro NCAP’s fifth and last launch of 2011. A total of 14 cars were tested including two Chinese newcomers, the MG6 and the Geely Emgrand EC7, both of which achieved a four star rating, proving that at least some Chinese brands are starting to take safety seriously.

Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP Secretary General commented: "These results mark a milestone for the Chinese automotive industry. It is a clear sign that Chinese car makers are building on recent experiences and rapidly investing in better vehicle safety. Even with the upcoming increased demands, five stars are expected to be within reach soon."

Four more vehicles that are new were given a four-star rating, including the Fiat Panda, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jaguar XF and the EV Renault Fluence ZE.

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2012 Chevrolet Camaro Coupe Excels in NHTSA's New Crash Tests [with Videos]

Here's some more good news for General Motors as the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro Coupe is the first car to score the highest possible five-star rating in every individual test of the National Highway Traffic Safery Administration's (NHTSA) New Car Assessment Program since the introduction of the new standards in 2011. Read more »

Euro NCAP Announces the Results of the Latest Round of Crash Tests

The Ford Ranger's five-star rating in the Euro NCAP crash test was a surprise in the sense that it was the first time a pickup truck ever achieved such a high score not only for passenger but also for pedestrian protection as well.

The independent European safety organization also released the results for 11 more new models that were tested along with the Ranger. With the emphasis given these days on safety, the five-star rating awarded in all but one of the models was to be expected.

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All-New Ford Ranger is the First Pickup Ever to be Awarded 5 Stars in Euro NCAP Crash Tests

Ford’s new Ranger is the first pickup tested by the Euro NCAP safety organization to achieve a five-star top rating. The Ranger’s overall score was 89%, which is not only the best ever recorded by a pickup, but one of the highest regardless of class.

Surprisingly, given that it is a pickup, it also managed to receive the best rating ever for pedestrian protection among the cars tested by the Euro NCAP since it was established in 1997, with an 81% score.

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Honda Shows off 2012 Civic Hatchback's Safety Credentials

All car manufactures boast about the high level of safety offered by their vehicles. But we usually don’t find out whether their claims are accurate until they are subjected to crash tests from the likes of Euro NCAP or the IIHS.

Since five stars have become the norm for almost all new models above the city-car level, car manufacturers are trying to outdo each other by achieving new records in each category measured by the independent safety organization(s).

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