2019 Optima SX
IRVINE, Calif., December 21, 2018 — Kia Motors America (KMA) is proud to announce that a total of eight Kia models were included in the 2019 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Awards, making it one of the top three brands to rack up the most safety awards following tougher IIHS requirements for 2019. The all-new 2019 Forte, which just went on-sale this past summer, is one of the five models to earn a Top Safety Pick Plus award – the IIHS’s highest designation possible – when equipped with front crash prevention and specific headlights.
Orth Hedrick, Director of Car Planning and Telematics for KMA said “We are honored to receive so many IIHS saftety awards across our lineup, especially considering these designations are much harder to achieve in 2019.”
Vehicles are now required to earn a “Good” rating in the passenger-side small overlap test versus an “Acceptable” or “Good” rating for the 2018 award. The test also requires a vehicle earn “Good” ratings in all other crashworthiness tests and a an “Advanced” or “Superior” rating for front crash prevention, as well as a “Good” rating in headlight testing.
Kia IIHS Top Safety Pick modles are the 2019 Forte, 2019 Niro, 2019 Niro Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV), 2019 Optima, and 2019 Sorento when equipped with optional front crash prevention and specific headlight.
The 2019 Rio, 2019 Soul, and 2019 Cadenza were top safety pick models for the passenger-side test when equipped with optional front crash prevention and specific headlights.
Andy Freels, President of Hyundai America Technical Center, Inc. said that “Safety is a top priority for our vehicles.
Click for more information on the IIHS 2019 report
