LOS ANGELES: Kia Motors America’s (KMA's) top-selling sedan, the Optima, has earned itself the Top Safety Pick Plus (TSP+) award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for vehicles built after March 2017.
The Optima has been equipped with the optional front crash prevention system, LED headlights with High Beam Assist as well as an integrated Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) system for crash prevention.
Aside from earning a few "good” crashworthiness ratings and a superior rating for the optional front-crash prevention system, the Optima also achieved a “good” rating after for its headlights from the IIHS.
To qualify for TSP+, the IIHS testing parameters require each vehicle to earn “good” ratings in five crashworthiness tests – small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side impact, roof strength and head restraints – as well as an “advanced” or “superior” rating for front crash prevention and an “acceptable” or “good” rating in headlight testing.
The Optima offers a suite of available driver assistance systems such advanced smart cruise control (ASCC), blind spot detection (BSD) with lane change assist, rear cross traffic alert (RCTA), rear parking assist system (RPAS), front collision warning system (FCWS), lane departure warning system (LDWS) and autonomous emergency braking (AEB).
“The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety sets some of the highest standards when it comes to evaluating vehicle safety, and the Top Safety Pick Plus designation is a significant achievement that substantiates Kia’s ongoing effort to improve the quality and integrity of our world-class model line,” said KMA vice president (product planning) Orth Hedrick.
