(January 22, 2014) DETROIT – The 2014 Chevrolet Spark is a Top Safety Pick and is the only vehicle in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety minicar segment to earn the rating in 2014 model year testing.

Spark achieved highest possible “good” scores in the IIHS’s moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints tests, and scored an “acceptable” in IIHS’s new small overlap test, designed to replicate what happens when the front corner of a vehicle strikes another vehicle or an object like a tree or a utility pole.

The test is more difficult than a head-on collision because the front-end crush zone is bypassed, directing energy through the vehicle differently than intended, which can result in the passenger compartment collapsing.

"Small, lightweight vehicles have an inherent safety disadvantage. That's why it's even more important to choose one with the best occupant protection," Joe Nolan, IIHS vice president, said in a statement. "Unfortunately, as a group, minicars aren't performing as well as other vehicle categories in the small-overlap crash."

“Spark’s impressive performance in IIHS’s most stringent test yet demonstrates the intensive efforts of our global safety team to deliver big safety in a small package,” said Gay Kent, General Motors general director of Vehicle Safety and Crashworthiness. “Spark’s safety structure makes extensive use of high-strength and ultra-high-strength steels and its robust passenger protection package includes 10 standard air bags.”

Minicars present unique challenges when designing for crashworthiness. Spark’s relatively short wheelbase of 93.5 inches required the Spark team to strengthen the car’s front-end structure to better absorb and distribute impact energy around occupants. A cradle extension offers additional support in frontal collisions.

Lightweight, high-strength steels constitute more than 62 percent of Spark’s under body and 42 percent of its upper body. The car’s rigid door beams and H-shaped structure under the seating area are designed to enhance protection in side impacts, and its high-strength cross members are designed to help manage crush space in side impacts.

Spark’s roof bow and B-pillar also use high-strength steels to help preserve the occupant space in a rollover crash. Likewise, the high-strength rear rail is designed to help protect the fuel tank in side and rear impacts.

Because of the revised testing, and increased importance of the small-overlap test, the Fiat 500, Ford Fiesta, Honda Fit, Nissan Versa, Toyota Prius C and Toyota Yaris lost top safety pick status from last year.

The worst performing vehicles in the group were the Honda Fit and Fiat — with both having the structure of the vehicle "seriously compromise" the passenger compartment. According to the IIHS report, the driver door of the Fiat 500 tore open at the hinges during the test, which creates the risk of the driver being ejected.

The vehicles tested were the Chevrolet Spark, Mazda2, Kia Rio, Toyota Yaris, 2014 Ford Fiesta, 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage, Nissan Versa, Toyota Prius C, Hyundai Accent, Fiat 500 and Honda Fit.

Sources: General Motors, Automotive News