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.October 01, 2003
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This Week:

• First Luxury Lexus Built Outside of Japan Rolls off the Line in Cambridge, Ontario

• "THE SEARCH FOR THE ULTIMATE DRIVER"

• DaimlerChrysler Celebrates 10th Anniversary of Mercedes-Benz U.S. International in Tuscaloosa

• Chevrolet Aveo Brings Surprising Innovation To Entry-Level Car Segment

• New Paint Shop Inaugurated at PSA Peugeot Citroën's Mulhouse Plant

• Talking Cars For Less Congestion - The Future Of Telematics

• Nissan Announces Pricing On All-New Full-Size Pathfinder Armada SUV

• GM Design Chief Wayne Cherry to Retire After 42-Year Career

• TEN YEARS OF AUDI ENGINE PLANT IN HUNGARY

• Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan Named "Best Pick" in IIHS Crash Test

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Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan Named "Best Pick" in IIHS Crash Test

Photo:GM
 

Norcross, GA - Saab's "Real-Life Safety" philosophy helped earn the 2003 Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan a "Best Pick" designation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. In the most recent series of 40-mph frontal offset crash tests, IIHS tested seven new or redesigned vehicles, including the 2003 Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan. The Saab was one of five vehicles that earned the Institute's "Best Pick" honor in this round of testing. The crashworthiness test evaluates vehicles on three primary elements: Ability of the structural cage to protect the occupant compartment Risk of occupant injury How well occupant movement is controlled by the vehicle's restraint system The Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan received the highest possible rating of "good" in all three categories.

"We are pleased with the findings of the most recent IIHS test," said Debra Kelly-Ennis, President of Saab Cars USA, Inc. "In this test, the car's various safety systems performed exactly as designed, and the occupant compartment maintained its integrity to help reduce the risk of injury."

Among the Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan's standard safety features are adaptive, dual-stage front airbags, side-impact airbags engineered into the front seats, seat belts featuring crash pre-tensioners and load limiters, and Saab's "second generation" Saab Active Head Restraint (SAHR 2). In the event of a rear-end collision, the SAHR system is designed to limit the head movement of the occupant during the impact, helping to reduce the risk of whiplash injuries.

In addition to the seat-mounted side-impact airbags, the Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan also features side-curtain airbags that deploy from the ceiling, offering protection to front and rear occupants. The side-curtain airbags are activated in side impacts and also in severe frontal impacts, when stage 2 activation of the front airbags is deployed. The side-curtain airbags remain inflated for up to three seconds in order to help prevent a passenger's head from striking the side windows, roof pillars or exterior objects during the course of an impact sequence. This added protection is especially effective during an offset frontal crash, as the IIHS test duplicates, when the vehicle rotates after the collision.

Saab's 9-5 model has also been highly rated by IIHS. The 2002 Saab 9-5 sedan earned a "Best Pick" honor following an IIHS offset front crash test in 2002. The 9-5 earned a top "good" rating for each of the Institute's criteria in the crash test.

(September 25, 2003)