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IIHS gives 90 models its Top Safety Pick award in one fell swoop

Although the Audi A7 and the Toyota Sienna are positioned on completely different ends of the automotive spectrum, they overlap in one important area: both earned a Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). They're among the 49 cars that received the distinction for 2021, while 41 additional models scored a Top Safety Pick (without the plus) award from the institute, bringing the number of winners to 90. Earning a coveted Top Safety Pick award from the IIHS is easier said than done. Recipients need to score a good rating in the institute's six crash tests, be available with a front crash prevention system that scores a superior or advanced rating in vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations, and be offered with (but, crucially, not necessarily fitted standard with) headlights that are either good or acceptable. Vehicles that have good or acceptable headlights across the full range, regardless of trim level, are eligible for the Top Safety Pick+ award. The Hyundai Group (which includes Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis) earned more awards than any other carmaker, with 12 standard Top Safety Pick distinctions and five earning a Pick+. Volvo led the Pick+ chart with its entire lineup of nine vehicles. At the other end of the spectrum, Mitsubishi still hasn't earned a single award, and General Motors only nabbed one of each. Safety is spreading across market segments, according to the IIHS. It pointed out that, in 2020, there were no minivans or pickup trucks on the list of Top Safety Pick recipients. Fast forward to 2021, and the list includes the Honda Odyssey, the Toyota Sienna, and the Ram 1500 crew cab; the first two earned a Pick+. The full list of 2021 award winners is on the IIHS website. Note that, for some models, only units built after a certain date earned an award. This distinction reflects a change (usually in headlights) during the production run. Cars sold in the United States are safer than ever, but automakers still sell vehicles with a zero-star crash test rating in many global markets. Suzuki's 2020 S-Presso flunked a reasonably basic round of tests in 2020. Featured Gallery 2021 Hyundai Palisade View 12 Photos Audi Hyundai Volvo

Volvo offers up more details on 2015 XC90 and its new infotainment system

We have more details on the 2015 Volvo XC90 and the all-new, touch-heavy infotainment system that will debut with it. An expansion of the Sensus system, as we've shown you before, we now know the new system won't only sport a large, vertically oriented touchscreen, but a head-up display and the ability to manage the systems via wheel-mounted buttons.
Key to the entire experience are the large, portrait-oriented touchscreen, a head-up display and the thumb controls you can see on the face of the steering wheel in the image above. Volvo is claiming that this combination will be easier to use and, fittingly for the Swedish manufacturer, safer.
"Using the screen is so logical that it will become part of your muscle memory very quickly," said Dr. Peter Mertens, Volvo's senior vice president of research and development. "Information, navigation and media are high up and easy to check. The phone controls, application icons and climate controls are located low, comfortable to reach and touch. All of this logic is based on extensive usability and user experience research and the latest technology."

Volvo XC90 prototype spied for the first time ever

Despite its advanced age, the Volvo XC90 remains a highly competent luxury SUV. The design has aged nicely, and it's clear from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety naming the big Volvo a Top Safety Pick + that the safety-minded Swedes behind it knew what they were doing. Still, even the finest cars need replacing, especially after nearly 12 years on sale.
Here we have the first spy shots of the next-generation XC90, under development somewhere cold (at this rate, it could be anywhere from Arvidsjaur to Atlanta). Now, as our spy photogs point out, this is the real deal, judging by all that camo over the vehicle. There's a production body under there, rather than this being a mule with the old vehicle's skin on top of it.
It's difficult to make out much because of all the camo, although there are some similarities to both the Concept XC Coupe from the Detroit Auto Show and a batch of teaser images we showed you earlier this year. We can see the greenhouse retains a shape similar to the current XC90, although the beltline climbs rather aggressively once past the C pillar, much like it does on the Concept XC Coupe. In back, Volvo has eschewed tall, vertical lights in favor of more conventional units, which we expect to be similar to what we saw in the teaser images. We'd bargain that there will be a traditional rectangular grille, like what you can see on the concept. The headlights, meanwhile, should wear T-shaped LED elements, like the teaser images.