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Audi A4 and Q5 Get IIHS Top Safety Pick Awards

Audi’s American division announced that the Q5 mid-size SUV and the A4 saloon earned the 2010 Top Safety Pick ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

"Safety is a leading criterion for customers wishing to purchase a luxury vehicle," said Johan de Nysschen, President, Audi of America. "It is an important step that now three Audi vehicles are designated with TOP SAFETY PICK ratings, the highest number for a German luxury brand. In particular, the A4 and Q5 models are our highest selling nameplates, whose value is only increased by these IIHS results."

For the 2010 model year and beyond, IIHS included a new rollover roof strength test, which consists of the pushing of a metal plate against one corner of a vehicle’s roof at a constant speed. The maximum force sustained by the roof before 5 inches of crush is compared to the vehicle’s weight to determine the strength to weight ratio. None of the aforementioned three Audi models required any structural changes to meet the rollover testing criteria.

The two models join the Audi A3 compact in achieving the highest safety recognition granted by the Institute. Audi claims that this achievement makes it the German carmaker with the most vehicles to have achieved the Top Safety Pick rating.

"You can't predict what kind of crash you're going to be in, so it's important to buy a vehicle that will protect you in all kinds of crashes," said IIHS president Adrian Lund. "The A3, A4, and Q5 are in an elite group of vehicles that afford the highest level of front, side, rollover, and rear crash protection, and that have electronic stability control to help prevent crashes from happening altogether."
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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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