FOUNTAIN VALLEY,Calif. – November 15, 2007 – For the first time ever, three Hyundai models earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) Top Safety Pick award.  The Hyundai Veracruz and Santa Fe received awards in the midsize SUV segment and the Hyundai Entourage in the minivan segment.  All winning vehicles are recognized for their ability to protect people in front, side and rear crashes.

This marks the third year in a row the Entourage has received the highest honor – the IIHS Top Safety Pick award in the minivan category.  All three vehicles also earned five-star crash test ratings, the highest government rating under NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program, for both frontal and side impact. 

Top Safety Pick awards recognize vehicles that do the best job of protecting people in front, side and rear crashes based on ratings in the Institute’s tests.  Each vehicle’s overall evaluation is based on a variety of measures including injuries to dummies, vehicle’s structural performance, restraint performance, etc.  Winners are also required to be equipped with the latest crash prevention technology, electronic stability control (ESC) – which is standard on all three Hyundai Top Safety Pick vehicles and on 73% of all Hyundai vehicles sold in the U.S. 

According to the IIHS, “Designating winners based on the tests makes it easier for consumers to identify vehicles that afford the best overall protection without sifting through multiple sets of comparative crash test results”

“Hyundai has more 2008 IIHS Top Safety Picks than BMW, Mercedes-Benz, or Toyota,” said John Krafcik, vice president of strategic planning and product development, Hyundai Motor America.  “That’s a pretty good indication that we know what we’re doing when it comes to combining industry-leading safety with industry-leading value.”

HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA

Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co. of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through more than 750 dealerships nationwide.