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The 2010 Hyundai Genesis Sedan has recently been tested and awarded the ‘Top Safety Pick’ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). This award is earned by all vehicles who manage to achieve the institute’s top rating of “Good” for front, side, rollover and rear crash protection. A vehicle cannot achieve the ‘Top Safety Pick’ if it hasn’t got Electronic Stability Control (ESC) as standard.

The South Korean car company earned the ‘Top Safety Pick’ with the 2009 Hyundai Genesis Sedan as well, but this year the standards were raised even higher and a roof strength test was added to the procedures.

The new guidelines require the roof to withstand more than two times the strength of current federal requirements in order to properly maintain the vehicle’s integrity in a rollover accident. And Hyundai made the adjustments to the Genesis roof structure to improve protection.

"Genesis was designed to be one of the safest vehicles on the road and includes features such as ESC and Hyundai's first electronic active front head restraint system, which helps prevent whiplash," said Derek Joyce, manager of product planning, Hyundai Motor America.

[Source: Hyundai]

Kia Motors has announced that its compact Forte sedan has received a "Top Safety Pick" status for 2010 by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. This is the third model from the Hyundai/Kia line-up to receive this prestigious title for 2010, with the other two being the Kia Soul and the all-new Hyundai Sonata.

It is important to note that this rating only applies to Forte's built after October 2009, as the automaker made revisions to the car's B-pillar and roof to qualify it for the award.

For a vehicle to qualify for the rating, it must score the top rating of Good in frontal-offset, side-impact, and rear-impact crash tests. New for 2010, a car must also score a good rating in its roof-strength test that measures occupant protection in the case of a rollover. The car must also be equipped with electronic stability control (ESC), standard equipment in the Forte.

With the new standards implemented for 2010, there are only 31 vehicles in the market that qualify for the Top Safety Pick, a low number compared to that of 2009. Other cars in the compact segment that earned the top rating are the Volkwagen Golf, Toyota Corolla, Subaru Impreza, Scion xB, and Nissan Cube. Honda Civic's equipped with optional stablity control also earned the award.

[Source: Kicking Tires]