Trollhättan, 26 November 2002
Highest marks awarded to the Saab 9-3 Sports Sedan:
Saab 9-3 Sports Sedan receives maximum five stars in EuroNCAP's collision test
The new Saab 9-3 Sports Sedan is awarded a maximum five star rating in the latest round of EuroNCAP collision tests, the most prestigious in Europe. The full results will be published in a widely-respected consumer report.
"These excellent results are very gratifying. EuroNCAP is an independent organisation, completely separate from car manufacturers, whose evaluations contain accessible and objective information for car consumers. That is why our goal was to finish at the top of the rankings. However, our Real Life Safety concept is, as always, the controlling factor which guides collision safety development at Saab," says Per Lenhoff, Head of Crash Safety Development at Saab Automobile.
In plain language, Real Life Safety means that Saab's goal is to develop cars which provide the best possible safety in real world crashes. That is why Saab's technicians continually examine cars which have been involved in actual collisions. The results of these studies form the basis for improvements in construction and safety solutions, in addition to Saab's own collision testing programme methods which comprise a total of 75 different test configurations.
"Real-life situations are difficult to predict and no two collisions are alike. That is why the lessons learned from actual collisions contribute invaluable information and why we perform tests which are considerably tougher and more comprehensive than those required by law," says Per Lenhoff.
EuroNCAP conducts tests using three types of collision: a frontal impact and two different kinds of side impact. The test results are then evaluated according to a large number of parameters relating to driver and passenger safety. These are the tests for which the Saab 9-3 Sports Sedan has now been awarded five stars; a follow-up to the Saab 9-5's success in 2000, when it was judged to be the best car tested to date by EuroNCAP.
During the past year, Saab has attracted a great deal of attention due to the impressive results of several field studies involving SAHR (Saab Active Head Restraint), which has been standard equipment in both the Saab 9-3 and the 9-5 since 1998. In November 2001, The Journal of Trauma in the United States published a comparison study between SAHR-equipped Saabs and older Saabs with traditional head restraints. The survey was based on actual collisions and showed that SAHR reduces the risk of serious whiplash injuries as a result of rear-end impacts. by 75 per cent
Recently, the American research institute IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) and British insurance research center at Thatcham published reports also stating that SAHR provides very effective protection. Both the IIHS (
www.hwysafety.org) and Thatcham (
www.thatcham.org) are organisations which are owned by insurance companies. The Saab 9-5 has also generated interest in the US by receiving the highest marks in IIHS and USNCAP (
www.NHTSA.com) consumer laboratory collision tests.
For further additional information, please contact: Christer Nilsson, Press Relations Manager, Saab Automobile, tel. +46 520 854 86, e-mail
christer.u.nilsson@saab.com Per Lenhoff, Head of Crash Safety Development, Saab Automobile, tel. +46 520 865 65, e-mail:
per.lenhoff@saab.com
You can find more information on EuroNCAP, European New Car Assessment Programme, at:
www.euroncap.com
26-11-02, 11:21 AM
NCAP crash results: 5Stars
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