Mazda vehicle safety recognised in USA and Australia

Mazda models have scored well in the annual list of Top Safety picks released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. This American non-profit organisation is financed by the insurance industry.

Top Safety Pick winners offer the highest levels of crash protection under new criteria that take into account vulnerable pedestrians as well as vehicle occupants.

The Mazda3 sedan and hatch, Mazda6, CX-3 and CX-5 received the Top Safety Plus award, while the CX-9 was rated a Top Safety Pick. Twenty-three models qualified for a Top Safety Plus award, the highest designation, while 41 earned the Top Safety Pick status.

Mazda New Zealand MD, David Hodge, said the fact that five Mazdas received the top award highlights the importance the company places on safety. This also reflects the fact that Mazda has been working hard on pedestrian protection, increasingly recognised by the major crash safety testing regimes.

Vehicle manufacturers have an important role to play in protecting vulnerable road users and the awards systems globally have picked up on that.

And in related news, the incoming Mazda CX-30 was awarded a full five-star ANCAP rating, at the same time achieving the highest adult occupant protection score seen to date by the authority, with a result of 99 per cent. That five-star ANCAP safety rating will apply to all CX-30 variants sold in New Zealand.

CX-30 launches on the New Zealand market in April.