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 (TM) 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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