All-new 2013 Subaru BRZ Awarded IIHS 2012 TOP SAFETY PICK

- New Subaru BRZ sports car earned highest-possible rating in IIHS evaluations

- Subaru remains the only car manufacturer with 2012 IIHS TOP SAFETY PICKs for all models

CHERRY HILL, N.J., PRNewswire -- Subaru of America, Inc. today announced that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has recognized the all-new 2013 Subaru BRZ as a 2012 TOP SAFETY PICK.  Subaru remains the only manufacturer with 2012 IIHS TOP SAFETY PICKs for all models.



The all-new 2013 BRZ earned a "good" rating – the top rank – in the moderate overlap frontal, side, rollover and rear impact evaluations.

"With BRZ, Subaru has brought back the affordable sports car; and FHI engineering in the product has led not only to great driving fun but also top safety marks," said Thomas J. Doll, executive vice president and COO, Subaru of America, Inc. "We are passionate and uncompromising in our commitment to safety.  Subaru is thrilled to continue as an industry leader in this area." 

The TOP SAFETY PICK recognizes vehicles that, in IIHS testing, do the best job of protecting people in front, side, rear, and now rollover crashes based on 'good' ratings in each category. The IIHS ranks in terms of Good, Acceptable, Marginal and Poor, with 'good' as the top rank possible in Institute tests. Winners also must have electronic stability control.

"For three years running, Subaru is the only automotive manufacturer with the distinction of earning IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK awards for every model it builds," said Institute president Adrian Lund. "It's tough to win, and we commend Subaru for making safety a top priority."

About IIHS

The Institute's frontal crashworthiness evaluations are based on results of a moderate overlap frontal crash test. Each vehicle's overall evaluation is based on measurements of intrusion into the occupant compartment, injury measures recorded on a 50th percentile male Hybrid III dummy in the driver seat, and analysis of slow-motion film to assess how well the restraint system controlled dummy movement during the test.

Side evaluations are based on performance in a crash test in which the side of a vehicle is struck by a barrier moving at 31 mph. The barrier represents the front end of a pickup or SUV. Ratings reflect injury measures recorded on 2-instrumented SID-IIs dummies representing a small (5th percentile) woman, assessment of head protection countermeasures, and the vehicle's structural performance during the impact.

Rear crash protection is rated according to a two-step procedure. Starting points for the ratings are measurements of head restraint geometry -- the height of a restraint and its horizontal distance behind the back of the head of an average size man. Seat/head restraints with good or acceptable geometry are tested dynamically using a dummy that measures forces on the neck. This test simulates a collision in which a stationary vehicle is struck in the rear at 20 mph. Seats without good or acceptable geometry are rated poor overall because they can't be positioned to protect many people.

In the roof strength test, a metal plate is pushed against 1 side of a roof at a constant speed. To earn a good rating for rollover protection, the roof must withstand a force of 4 times the vehicle's weight before reaching 5 inches of crush. This is called a strength-to-weight ratio. For an acceptable rating, the minimum required strength-to-weight ratio is 3.25. A marginal rating value is 2.5. Anything lower than that is rated poor.

About Subaru of America, Inc.

Subaru of America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 600 dealers across the United States.  All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill production plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive Inc. is the only U.S. automobile production plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. For additional information visit www.subaru.com.