US IIHS Top Safety Picks released

Of the 66 vehicles on the list, 37 are available in Australia - including all the Subaru models.

The IIHS list is used by astute American buyers in their new car selection process. It is compiled by rating vehicles on their occupant protection in front, side, rollover and rear crashes.

All must also be fitted with electronic stability control as standard equipment.

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The IIHS says that in 2010, Hyundai/Kia and Volkswagen/Audi both tied as manufacturers with the highest number of Top Safety Picks with a total of nine winning models.

Ford/Lincoln, General Motors and Toyota/Lexus/Scion all took second place each with a total of eight Top Safety Picks.

Subaru has managed to retain its title as the only automaker to have a Top Safety Pick designation for every vehicle it sells.

The Volkswagen Touareg is the only large SUV to take home a Top Safety Pick for 2011, and the US-only 2011 Ford Explorer managed to make its way onto the Top Safety Pick list for the first time in the vehicle's history, the IIHS reports.

Last year the Institute toughened criteria by adding a requirement that all qualifiers must earn a good rating for performance in a roof strength test to assess protection in a rollover crash.

The move instantly narrowed the initial field of 2010 winners. At the beginning of the 2010 model year, only 27 vehicles qualified for the award, but the number grew to 58 as vehicle makers reworked existing designs and introduced new models.

"In just a year, automakers have more than doubled the number of vehicles that meet the criteria for Top Safety Pick," says IIHS president Adrian Lund.

"That gives consumers shopping for a safer new car or SUV - from economy to luxury models - plenty of choices to consider in most dealer showrooms. In fact, every major automaker has at least one winning model this year."

The Chevrolet Cruze - sister to the Holden Cruze but with different specifications - has 10 standard airbags, including ones for the knees, to outperform the government's minimum roof strength requirements.

The IIHS notes that safety equipment is increasingly standard.

Ninety-two per cent of 2011 model cars, 94 per cent of SUVs, and 56 per cent of utes on the US market have standard head and side airbags.

Electronic stability control is standard on 92 per cent of cars, 100 per cent of SUVs and 72 per cent of utes.

ALL 66 WINNERS (Australian cars marketed with an asterisk)

LARGE CARS:

Buick LaCrosse
Buick Regal
*BMW 5-Series (except 4-wheel drive and V8)
Cadillac CTS sedan
Ford Taurus
Hyundai Genesis
Infinite M37/M56 (except M56x 4-wheel drive)
Lincoln MKS
*Mercedes E-Class coupe
*Mercedes E-Class sedan
Toyota Avalon
*Volvo S80 MIDSIZE CARS:
*Audi A3
*Audi A4 sedan
Chevrolet Malibu
Chrysler 200 4-door
Dodge Avenger
Ford Fusion
*Hyundai Sonata
*Kia Optima
Lincoln MKZ
*Mercedes C-Class
*Subaru Legacy (Liberty)
*Subaru Outback
*Volkswagen Jetta sedan
Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen
*Volvo C30

SMALL CARS:

*Chevrolet Cruze
*Honda Civic 4-door models (except Si) with optional electronic stability control
*Kia Forte (Cerato) sedan
*Kia Soul
*Mitsubishi Lancer (except all-wheel drive)
Nissan Cube
Scion tC Scion xB
*Subaru Impreza sedan/hatch (except WRX)
*Volkswagen Golf 5-door
*Volkswagen GTI 5-door

MINICAR: