Awards and Achievements Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan"Top Pick" Honor for Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan The Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan is a Gold Award winner in the first-ever Top Safety Pick award by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. This finding confirms the high level of occupant protection provided by the Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan, which has also received an industry-best five-star rating in the EuroNCAP crash testing. The ’Top Safety Pick - Gold Award’ is a best-of-the-best distinction that recognizes car designs that provide the best occupant protection in front, side and rear crashes based on Institute testing. IIHS crash tests result in ratings from good to poor with top performers receiving a “good” and “Best Pick” designation. The 9-3 Sport sedan received a Best Pick in both front and side crash tests. The IIHS frontal impact test is carried out at 40 mph against a deformable fixed barrier, with a 40 percent driver’s side offset. The rear-end test simulates a 20-mph rear impact into a stationary car, during which the front seat/head restraint performance is assessed. The Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan received a ’good’ in this test. “These results are further evidence of the dedication and skill of the engineers who work with the safety development of Saab cars,” said Stig Nodin, Director - Engineering Center, Sweden, General Motors Europe. “However, the priority is always to protect real people in real crashes through the implementation of our Real-life Safety strategy.” Saab Real-life Safety involves the use of computer simulations and crash tests designed to replicate what happens in real collisions on real roads, based on the findings of a database covering more than 6,100 real-life crashes involving Saab cars on Swedish roads. During the Saab 9-3 product development program, the 9-3 Sport Sedan’s structural design and occupant protection systems were evaluated in consumer and legally required crash tests as well as a large number of in-house configurations taking occupants of different sizes into consideration. Prototype tests were carried out in the laboratory and outdoors in a range of speeds and configurations. 2002 Awarded maximum five star rating in EuroNCAP collision test, Saab 9-3 Sports Saloon, EuroNCAP Best Family Saloon, Saab 9-3 Sport Saloon, PBS’s MotorWeek television, USA Prestige Car of the Year, Saab 9-3 Sport Saloon, Brisbane Courier Mail, Australia Best Buy, Saab 9-3 Sport Saloon, Expressen, Sweden Best New Car, Saab 9-3 Arc Sport Saloon ($30,000 - $40,000 range), Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine, USA |