Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Calls Camry "Best" in Crashes

01/09/97

Reuters reports that crash test results for Toyota's 1997 Camry earned the car a "best pick" rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The insurance industry-supported group gave GM's Pontiac Grand Prix an "acceptable" rating, and it rated Hyundai's Sonata as "poor."

IIHS's most recent ratings were assigned on Monday. Earlier "best pick" ratings for mid-size four-door cars were given to the Ford Taurus, the Mercury Sable, the GMC Chevrolet Lumina, and the Volvo 850.

IIHS said the principal component of the rating is based on a 40 miles-per-hour frontal crash which shows how well the vehicle structure manages the impact. A dummy representing an average-size male driver measures the risk of injury.

IIHS President Brian O'Neill said, "the new Camry, Taurus, Lumina and Volvo demonstrate the crash-worthiness automakers can, and should, achieve with all of their mid-size models. Unfortunately, we still have too many poor performers like the Sonata."

The institute said that Hyundai does not stand alone with its poor rating. Six other carmakers had mid-size four-door cars that received "poor" ratings in the crash test: Nissan's Maxima; Chrysler's Chrysler Cirrus, Dodge Stratus, and Plymouth Breeze; Mitsubishi's Galant; GMC's Chevrolet Cavalier and Pontiac Sunfire; Volkswagen's Passat; and Ford's Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique.

Paul Dever -- The Auto Channel