Honda Civic Sedan given top safety rating

The new 2013 Honda Civic Sedan, the most popular small car among individual buyers, has received the highest possible overall safety ratings from both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The 2013 Civic Sedan recently received the top 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score in the NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), and the highest possible rating of TOP SAFETY PICK+ from the IIHS, including a top score of GOOD in the new small overlap frontal collision test. Honda leads all automakers with every one of its tested model year 2013 vehicles earning a TOP SAFETY PICK or TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating from the IIHS. The 2013 Honda Civic Sedan and Coupe are the first and only small cars to earn the IIHS' highest safety rating of TOP SAFETY PICK+, and the NCAP 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score for the Civic Sedan further separates Civic from the competition in safety ratings performance.  The 2013 Accord also earned these high safety ratings in the midsize segment. "Car shoppers cannot find a small car with higher overall safety ratings than the 2013 Honda Civic," said Art St. Cyr, vice president of product planning and logistics at American Honda. "Safety ratings leadership across product lines is a fundamental part of not only our strategic business plan, but also our philosophy as a company." The Civic Sedan, significantly reengineered for 2013, is equipped with Honda's  next  generation Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure, which plays a critical role in making Civic the first small car to earn a TOP SAFETY PICK+ crash safety rating, and the first to earn the highest rating of GOOD in the IIHS' new small overlap frontal crash test (sometimes called a 'narrow offset' test). This aggressive test is designed to simulate what happens when the front corner of a vehicle collides with another vehicle or an object such as a tree or utility pole at high speed. The reinforced ACE™ body structure found on the 2013 Civic further enhances frontal crash energy through a wider range of these offset and oblique collision scenarios. Additional standard safety equipment on all Civic models include Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®) with traction control; an Anti-lock Braking System (ABS); side curtain airbags; dual-stage, multiple-threshold front airbags; and driver and front passenger side airbags. Honda Safety Leadership Under the banner of "Safety for Everyone," Honda has a long history of leadership in the development and application of advanced technologies and designs to enhance the safety of all road users, including automobile occupants, motorcycle riders, and pedestrians. The company operates two of the world's most sophisticated crash test facilities and is responsible for numerous pioneering efforts in the areas of crashworthiness, airbag technology, collision compatibility and pedestrian safety. This commitment to safety is rooted in Honda's goal to be a company that society wants to exist, and it complements the company's leadership in reducing vehicle emissions, improving fuel efficiency and advancing alternatives to gasoline.