Mazda CX-3, Mazda3 and Mazda6 Earn 2017 IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Honours

LEARN MORE: Complete 2017 IIHS Top Safety and Top Safety+ Award Winners

IRVINE, CA - December 8, 2016: Mazda announced today that three of its vehicles are once again rated by the independent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) as "Top Safety Pick+" awardees for 2017. The 2017 Mazda CX-3 subcompact crossover SUV, Mazda3/Mazda3 Sport compact sedan and hatchback, and midsize Mazda6 family sedan each aced a number of the Institute's proprietary collision safety tests.

Evaluations included small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests, where the tested vehicles had to earn a "Good" rating. Additionally, the trio of Mazdas earned "Advanced" or "Superior" rating for front crash-prevention, courtesy of their available Smart City Brake Support and Smart Brake Support automatic emergency braking systems.

Finally, CX-3, Mazda3 and Mazda6 had to pass stringent headlight evaluations to earn the highest "Top Safety Pick+" designation.

Each vehicle was designed from the ground up using SKYACTIV Technology, which is a suite of technologies that includes fuel-efficient engines and transmissions, lightweight but strong chassis, suspension designs that balance comfort and performance, implementing Mazda's safety systems.

"Mazda vehicles have long held a reputation for being the most fun-to-drive in each of their respective segments, and with KODO Design and SKYACTIV Technology, we've become leaders in other areas as well, such as design, fuel efficiency, and safety," said Vincent Reboul, Director, Marketing, Mazda Canada. "As safety regulations become harder to meet, we have to make sure that our vehicles perform well in all driving situations, especially when taking the safety of our customers into account. The IIHS 'Top Safety Pick+' is awarded to only the best vehicles that meet the toughest standards, and we're proud to have our vehicles on that list."

Thanks to their available adaptive LED headlights - a class-exclusive feature for the 2017 CX-3 - as well as ultra-rigid SKYACTIV-CHASSIS technology and a number of other unique features available in Mazda vehicles, such as straight frame rails that are implemented in every vehicle from the smallest MX-5 Miata to the largest CX-9 to better-withstand collisions due to their high rigidity, these three standouts continue to lead their segments in safety evaluations.

Excluded from 2017 testing thus far are the compact 2017 Mazda CX-5 crossover SUV, which will go on sale in the spring in the U.S., and the midsize, three-row CX-9, which has not been tested yet. MX-5 models are not evaluated in U.S. testing.

The IIHS is an independent, non-governmental safety-testing organization, funded by the insurance industry. For more information, visit IIHS.org.