Chevrolet's new Traverse crossover utility vehicle, built in Spring Hill, is one of 72 vehicles for the 2009 model year to earn the "Top Safety Pick" designation by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety based on the organization's own extensive crash testing.
The Traverse and its General Motors Corp. siblings, the GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook and Buick Enclave, are the only large sport utilities besides the Germany-built Audi Q7 to qualify for the top safety honors.
But beyond those four SUVs, GM had only four other vehicles on the institute's annual list. They are the Cadillac CTS and Saab 9-3 midsize sedans, the Saturn Vue midsize sport utility and the Saab 9-3 convertible.
There are only three vehicles on the list for Franklin-based Nissan North America Inc., but none from either of Nissan's U.S. plants, in Smyrna, Tenn., and Canton, Miss.
The three are the Nissan Rogue compact crossover and the Nissan Murano and Infiniti EX35 midsize crossovers.
Almost all of Volkswagen's U.S. models made the list, including the new compact Tiguan SUV, the Eos convertible and the Rabbit compact hatchback. VWs not on the list were the Touareg large SUV, an odd omission considering its virtual clone, the Audi Q7, made the list. The Routan minivan, actually a Chrysler product, didn't make it.
Ford Motor Co. was the biggest winner, with 16 of its vehicles on the list.
The No. 2 U.S. auto maker's safest vehicles include three models from its Swedish Volvo subsidiary, along with Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Mazda models. They include midsize cars and SUVs, compact SUVs and the redesigned F-150 pickup.
Honda is 2nd to FordThe F-150 is the first domestic full-size pickup to be a Top Safety Pick.
To earn a place on the list, a vehicle must receive the top rating in each category in the independent tests, which include front, side and rear crashes.
Honda, Acura and Subaru were the only automakers with a winner in every class in which they have entries, the institute said.
In all, Honda and its Acura luxury division had 13 winners, second to Ford. Honda's redesigned Fit was the first safety award winner in the minicar category.
Honda winners included the Odyssey minivan; Honda Accord and Acura RL, TL and TSX sedans; and Honda Pilot and Acura RDX and MDX sport utility vehicles, among others.
Toyota had eight winners, including the Avalon in the large car class. But surprisingly, the top-selling car in the U.S., the midsize Camry sedan, did not make the list — although its biggest competitor, the Accord sedan, did, along with the two Ford midsize models and the Volkswagen Passat and Jetta.
For more information about the institute and its crash-testing program, visit the Web site www.iihs.org.
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