By Ryu Jin
Staff Reporter
Four minivans and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) of Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors have been included in the list of 34 ``safest'' cars selected by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the United States.
According to the companies Friday, Hyundai Motor's ``Santa Fe,'' ``Veracruz'' and ``Entourage'' and Kia Motors' ``Sedona'' earned the ``Top Safety Pick'' award for their performance in safety tests.
Hyundai Motor's Santa Fe was selected as one of the top picks in the category of SUV along with the BMW X5, while Kia Motors' Sedona (known here in South Korea as the ``Grand Carnival'') got a nod in the minivan category.
``We are extremely proud that the Sedona was the first minivan ever to earn the IIHS `Top Safety Pick,''' said Len Hunt, president and CEO of Kia Motors America. The Sedona has been included in the list for three years in a row.
``To continue to earn this honor is yet another example of our dedication to providing quality vehicles equipped with the highest level of standard safety features available,'' he added.
From convertibles to pick up trucks, the IIHS puts vehicles to the test, rating how they do in front, side, and rear collisions. It also checks the performance of the electronic stability control (ESC) of the vehicles.
IIHS says that the ESC, a safety feature that kicks in to keep cars from spinning out of control or flipping over, could reduce the likelihood of a single-vehicle fatalaties by more than half.
Beside the four South Korean-made cars, there were 13 Japanese vehicles including the Honda Accord, six German cars including the Audi A6 and five Swedish automobiles such as the Volvo S80 in the list.