On November 21, 2000 (local time), American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (Main Office Location: Torrance, CA, President: Kouichi Amemiya), an US affiliate company of Honda Motor Co., Ltd., made the following announcement regarding the Safety Rating of the 2001 Honda Civic Coupe in the United States:
<Reference Information>
American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Torrance, CA Nov. 21, 2000 - The 2001 Honda Civic Coupe is one of the first two passenger cars ever to earn the Federal Government's top Five-Star safety rating for the driver and front and rear seat passengers in both frontal and side impact crash tests, according to information released today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The all-new Civic Coupe and the 2001 Volvo S80 each earned an all-around Five-Star rating in the NHTSA's first round of crash test results for the 2001 model year.
The frontal and side crash tests are part of NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) that provides consumers with safety data on the two most common injury-causing types of crash. In frontal tests, vehicles are crashed at 35 mph into a rigid, fixed barrier. The side crash is conducted with a moving, deformable barrier impacting the vehicle at an angle at 38.5 mph. Vehicles are given a rating from one to five stars, with five stars indicating the best level of crash protection. The 2001 Honda Civic Sedan also performed well in the tests, earning a Five-Star rating for the driver and front seat passenger in the frontal impact test and a Four-Star rating for the driver and rear seat passengers in side impacts.
All 2001 Civic models feature dual seatbelt pre-tensioners for front seat occupants and dual-stage front airbag inflators. Both Civic models tested were also equipped with Honda's advanced side airbag system, available on all 2001 Civic models. The side airbags include a cutoff system that prevents them from being deployed if a child or adult of small stature is leaning into the side airbag deployment path.
The Civic line has been completely re-designed for the 2001 model year. About 50 percent of the body structure, including the important mid-floor cross members and floor gussets, are made of high-tensile steel. Multi-directional cross members are used to create a "smart-linked " body and chassis to enhance impact energy absorption. In a frontal collision, energy is divided between the parallel side frame and a sub-frame, both new components of the 2001 Civic.
The 2001 Honda Civic Coupe was designed and developed by Honda R&D Americas, Inc. It is built exclusively at Honda of America Mfg., Inc.'s East Liberty (Ohio) Auto Plant.
(NOTE) Please note that all information contained in the above announcement applies only to U.S. vehicles, and is presented to you for referential purposes only. Honda Motor Co., Ltd makes no representations concerning the accuracy of the information contained in this announcement.