NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Today the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) upgraded the 2016 Nissan Sentra to its highest rating of "Top Safety Pick Plus" when equipped with optional Forward Emergency Braking technology. The Sentra had previously held the agency's Top Safety Pick designation prior to IIHS confirmation of the required front crash prevention technology performance.

For this year, IIHS has tightened its standards by requiring a "Good" or better rating in all five of the crashworthiness categories to earn a "Top Safety Pick" and making an available front crash prevention system mandatory for all awards. To earn the IIHS "Top Safety Pick Plus" designation, a vehicle must earn a "Good" or better on all five crashworthiness categories and also receive an "Advanced" or "Superior" rating for front crash prevention.

"Nissan is proud to have another of our core vehicles recognized by IIHS for vehicle safety," said Michael Bunce, vice president, Product Strategy and Planning, Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA). “Nissan has the safety and security of Nissan vehicle owners and their passengers as its top priority, so we are glad to see our long-term investment in safety showing results in these latest IIHS tests."

Sentra joins the 2016 Altima, Maxima and Murano in earning the IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus rating. Forward Emergency Braking is available on 2016 Sentra SR and SL models equipped with the optional Technology Package.

Please click HERE for the latest IIHS report.

About Nissan North America

In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and has been recognized annually by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year since 2010.

About Nissan Motor Co.

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 247,500 employees globally, Nissan sold 5.32 million vehicles and generated revenue of 11.38 trillion yen (USD 103.6 billion) in fiscal year 2014. Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. Nissan leads the world in zero-emission mobility, dominated by sales of the LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle. It is the best-selling EV in history with almost 50% share of the zero-emission vehicle segment.