OREANDA-NEWS. December 25, 2012. Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), the manufacturer of Subaru automobiles, is pleased to introduce the announcement made by Subaru of America, Inc.* that the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS; a nonprofit organization supported by auto insurers in the US) has awarded the best possible ranking of 2013 TOP SAFETY PICK (TSP) to all Subaru models currently sold in the North American region. Subaru has been recognized by IIHS for four consecutive years as the only automotive manufacturer with a TSP winner in all its lineup models (Subaru Legacy, Subaru Outback, Subaru Forester, Subaru Tribeca, Subaru Impreza, Subaru XV Crosstrek and Subaru BRZ).

Furthermore, the 2013 Subaru Legacy and Outback (built after Aug. 2012) are the first Subaru vehicles to have been tested for the Institute's 2013 "TSP+" award which requires "good" ratings for occupant protection in at least four of five IIHS evaluations, with no less than "acceptable" in any test. Both vehicles are now rated as TSP+.

On this win, Thomas Doll, executive vice president and COO of Subaru of America, Inc. said, "The strong ratings of our products in IIHS testing supports Subaru's belief in safety. Having 100% of our models listed as IIHS TOP SAFETY PICKs and now the Legacy and Outback models tested to TSP+ status demonstrates that."

IIHS provides consumers with vehicle safety information by rating the vehicle's performance on four passenger protection tests as "good", "acceptable", "marginal", or "poor". To win TOP SAFETY PICK, a vehicle must have "good" ratings in all four tests of high-speed front and side crash tests, a rollover test, and evaluations of seat/head restraints for protection against neck injuries in rear impacts.
 In addition, IIHS introduced the small overlap test in 2012 to further improve occupant protection in frontal crashes. The small overlap test is a demanding crash that replicates what happens when the front corner of a car collides with another vehicle or an object like a tree or utility pole. In the test, 25 percent of a car's front end on the driver side strikes a 5-foot-tall rigid barrier at 40 mph.

FHI aims to offer "Enjoyment and Peace of Mind" through the Subaru experience, its brand statement "Confidence in Motion" at the foundation. "Enjoyment and Peace of Mind" is not possible without the crucial element of "safety". Subaru will pursue all-around safety by continuing to advance its active, passive and pre-crash safety technologies.

* Subaru of America, Inc.: a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. Headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles in the United States.