Kia Forte Gets Safety Award

ollowing in the footsteps of the 2010 Soul urban passenger vehicle, the 2010 Kia Forte compact sedan has been recognized by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) with a 2010 “Top Safety Pick” award in the Small Car category. The new Forte, which replaced Kia’s popular Spectra model, received the organization’s top honor by earning “Good” ratings – the highest achievable – in frontal, side, rear and rollover impact crash safety tests. The Sedona minivan was chosen as a “Top Safety Pick” shortly after its launch in 2006.

“The Kia brand is growing rapidly in the U.S. thanks to new vehicles such as the Forte that embody our core philosophies of quality, value, style and safety,” said Michael Sprague, vice president, marketing of Kia Motors America (KMA). "Forte offers buyers a youthful and dynamically styled vehicle with an impressive array of standard safety features, and being honored as an IIHS ‘Top Safety Pick’ award winner furthers its position as a top contender in its segment and a vehicle that offers consumers the entire package.”

Ratings from the Institute are based on results from frontal, side and rear impact crash tests, and for the first time a good performance in a roof strength test to measure protection in a rollover also was required to win. Each vehicle’s overall evaluation was based on various measurements specific to each crash angle, and overall impact on crash test dummies inside the vehicle at the time of collision. All vehicles must have electronic stability control available to be eligible.

Credits: wilswong