Safety of US autos in crash tests rises

WASHINGTON -- Nine US-built vehicles made by General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG topped government crash safety tests this year, after domestic models were shut out of the highest rankings in 2006 results.

Twenty-four cars and sport-utility vehicles, including GM's Saturn Aura sedan, received five-star ratings, the highest ranking, in front and side crash tests of 63 vehicles, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said.

The results may boost efforts by GM, Ford, and DaimlerChrysler to lure US buyers interested in improved safety and reliability, attributes long claimed by German and Japanese automakers.

US automakers' rising safety scores may erase imported brands' perceived advantage, said Jack Nerad, market analyst at auto-valuation company Kelley Blue Book in Irvine, Calif. "It's getting to the point where a five-star rating is less of a selling point and more of an entry point."

Besides the Aura, US-built cars earning five stars were GM's Saturn Outlook SUV and GMC Acadia SUV; Ford's Five Hundred and Mercury Montego sedans, and Ford Freestyle SUV; and DaimlerChrysler's Dodge Caliber sedan, Dodge Nitro SUV, and Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV, the agency said.

Others with five-star ratings were Honda Motor Co.'s Acura MDX, Acura RDX, Honda CR-V and Honda Element SUVs; Hyundai Motor Co.'s Santa Fe SUV; Kia Motors Corp.'s Optima sedan, Sorento SUV, and Sportage SUV; Mazda Motor Corp.'s CX-7 SUV; Nissan Motor Co.'s Infiniti FX35/45; Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.'s Subaru Legacy sedan and Subaru Outback SUV; Toyota Motor Corp.'s Camry sedan and Highlander SUV, and Volkswagen AG's Audi Q7 SUV.

None of the vehicles that won five stars in front and side crashes did as well in rollover tests, the safety agency said. Mazda's Mazda6 sedan and GM's Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky convertibles received five-star ratings for rollover resistance, the agency said.

Five of 21 vehicles in last year's first round of government crash tests won five-star ratings. They were the Honda Odyssey minivan, the Hyundai Sonata four-door sedan, Hyundai Tucson SUV, Mercedes-Benz ML Class SUV, and the Subaru B9 Tribeca SUV.