The 2013 Cadillac ATS is the latest car to earn a five-star overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It received top scores for frontal, side and rollover crash tests in both the rear- and all-wheel drive models, AutoBlog reports.
Testing focused on safety features like the car's stability control, forward collision warning, lane departure warning and the crash tests, Automotive Discovery reports, and the vehicle maintenance that the Cadillac ATS underwent to improve in those areas helped to boost its final scores.
"We are now seeing the results from our commitment to [designing] the highest-rated vehicles in the world in safety performance," said Gay Kent, executive director of vehicle safety for General Motors, as quoted by the news source.
Another model to achieve perfect five-star ratings is the 2012 Chevy Camaro, with both vehicles being produced by General Motors. The requirements to ace the NHTSA's crash tests became more stringent in 2011, with these vehicles being among the first to score top ratings since the change was implemented.
There is still more testing to be done on the Cadillac ATS' main competitors, such as the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, while the BMW 3 Series and the Audi A4 received four- and five-star ratings.