(June 16, 2011) HERNDON, Va (PRNewswire) — The Volkswagen CC 2.0-liter TSI has earned the coveted Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's (IIHS) Top Safety Pick rating for 2011, the highest possible from the non-profit safety research organization.

The annual rating recognizes those vehicles that perform best in protecting passengers in the Institute's front, side, and rear crash test evaluations, and the newly required roof-strength test evaluations. The Institute only awards Top Safety Pick ratings to vehicles that are fitted with electronic stability control and head protection airbags.

Volkswagen now has seven 2011 IIHS Top Safety Picks. The other 2011 Volkswagen models to receive the rating are the Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Tiguan, Touareg, and 4-door Golf and GTI models.

"The performance of the CC is another example of Volkswagen's enduring commitment to engineer vehicles that earn the highest IIHS ratings," said Institute president Adrian Lund. "Volkswagen now has seven models on the list of vehicles that afford buyers state-of-the-art crash protection."