Newest sports sedan continues BMW long tradition of class-leading safety.

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – May 21, 2012 10:00am EDT … The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety today named the all-new 2012 BMW 3 Series Sedan a “Top Safety Pick,” continuing the company’s long-standing commitment to offering class-leading safety with each new model. In order to earn “Top Safety Pick,” a car must receive a rating of “good,” the Institute’s highest rating, in all of four tests – 40 mph frontal offset impact, side impact, rear impact protection/head restraint and rollover protection – and must be equipped with an electronic stability control system like BMW’s Dynamic Stability Control.

“The new 3 Series is a testament to BMW’s long tradition of passenger safety, as well as to the men and women who engineer and build them,” noted Tom Baloga – Vice-President, Engineering (US) for BMW. “While we remain committed to providing the best possible passenger protection, we believe that the best crash is the one avoided. The new 3 Series offers even more active safety technology, firmly rooted in the dynamics and handling that have made it the quintessential sports sedan through six generations.”

The newest crash test being conducted by the Institute as part of its overall evaluation is the rollover protection test. Rollover ratings assess vehicle roof strength for protection in rollover crashes. To measure roof strength, a metal plate is pushed against one corner of a vehicle’s roof at a constant speed. The maximum force sustained by the roof before 5 inches of crush is compared to the vehicle’s weight to find the strength-to-weight ratio.

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