2014 Honda Odyssey is First Minivan to Earn 2013 TOP SAFETY PICK+ Rating; Highest Overall Safety Rating from Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

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TORRANCE, Calif., Aug. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The first minivan to earn the highest possible rating of 2013 TOP SAFETY PICK+ from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is the 2014 Honda Odyssey. This includes an overall GOOD rating in the Insurance Institute's stringent small overlap frontal crash test. The IIHS created the small overlap frontal crash test to replicate what happens when the front corner of a car collides with another vehicle or an object such as a tree or utility pole.

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"Honda's commitment to safety is perhaps best demonstrated by the fact that we achieved this high standard in a mid-cycle refresh of the 2014 Honda Odyssey," said Art St. Cyr, vice president of product planning and logistics at American Honda. "Honda's goal is to continuously advance the safety performance of every Honda vehicle to fulfill the trust our customers place in the Honda brand."

Already the benchmark minivan in terms of fuel efficiency and innovative features, occupant safety for the 2014 Honda Odyssey is further enhanced through the next-generation Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure. The second-generation of the ACE™ body structure has also been applied to the 2013 Honda Accord and 2013 Civic models that previously achieved the TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating. Civic is the only vehicle in the compact class to achieve the rating of GOOD in the small overlap frontal crash test.

"Safety is high on the list for parents when it comes to shopping for a family vehicle," said Institute President Adrian Lund. "Consumers look for models with the highest safety ratings. Honda is ahead of many of its competitors in building state-of-the-art crashworthiness into its vehicles."

The next-generation ACE™ body structure improves frontal crash energy management through a wider range of offset and oblique collision modes. In addition, other body reinforcements work in tandem with the strengthened body structure to better maintain the occupant compartment volume during frontal collisions by providing additional crash energy pathways to help mitigate the forces transmitted to the passenger compartment.

In addition to applying the second-generation of Honda's ACE™ body structure to its models, standard safety equipment on all Honda and Acura models include Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®) with traction control; an Anti-lock Braking System (ABS); side curtain airbags (some vehicles equipped with a rollover sensor as well); dual-stage, multiple-threshold front airbags; and front side airbags.

While Honda has made structural improvements to the 2014 Odyssey, Honda also has applied a new type of side curtain airbag that includes a front chamber design providing additional protection in situations where occupants move in a more angled outboard trajectory, such as those that occur in oblique or offset crashes.

The 2014 Odyssey joins the 2013 Civic Sedan and Coupe and the 2013 Accord Sedan and Coupe to be among the first vehicles in the industry to earn the highest possible safety rating of 2013 TOP SAFETY PICK+ from the IIHS.

Honda Safety Leadership
Honda has a long history of leadership in the development and application of advanced technologies and designs to enhance the safety of all road users, including automobile occupants, motorcycle riders and pedestrians. The company operates two of the world's most sophisticated crash test facilities and is responsible for numerous pioneering efforts in the areas of crashworthiness, airbag technology, collision compatibility and pedestrian safety. This commitment to safety is rooted in Honda's goal to be a company that society wants to exist, and it complements the company's leadership in reducing vehicle emissions, improving fuel efficiency and advancing alternatives to gasoline.

Price and build your 2014 Odyssey now: http://automobiles.honda.com/odyssey/price.aspx

About Honda
Honda offers a complete lineup of cars and trucks through a network of more than 1,000 dealerships in the United States. In 2013, Honda marks 40 years of the Civic model, with more than 30 years of producing automobiles in the region, which began with the Accord in Marysville, Ohio, in November 1982. Having produced more than 25 million vehicles in North America through 2012 using domestic and globally sourced parts, Honda currently operates 14 major manufacturing facilities in North America, producing a wide range of Honda automobiles, all-terrain vehicles, power equipment products, engines and transmissions.

SOURCE American Honda Motor Co., Inc.