Crash test in the USA: Top marks again for the Audi A4

The renowned Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the USA has awarded the Audi A4 its highest rating of "Best Pick". This result is the outcome of a side crash test which the Ingolstadt-built saloon completed in the USA. This means that together with its result in the frontal crash performed at 64 km/h, the A4 has earned the top rating of "Double Best Pick".The IIHS regularly carries out crash tests on behalf of the US insurance industry on passenger vehicles of all kinds to establish their safety standard. Experts and car buyers alike, both within and outside the USA, pay considerable attention to the results.

In the IIHS side impact test, vehicles are struck by a moving barrier at a speed of 31 mph (50 km/h). The barrier is shaped to resemble the front end of a pick-up or SUV. Structural deformation as well as the kinematics and stresses to which passengers are subjected are then evaluated. The outstandingly low loads measured for the A4 are thanks to its rigid body and standard restraint systems, including the sideguard head-level airbag.