Volkswagen of America Inc. has received honors from two different safety organizations for its Atlas model, built at its Chattanooga, Tennessee, plant.
The model year 2020 and 2021 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport have both earned a 5-Star overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which runs the U.S. government’s New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).
The NCAP provides ratings on frontal, side and rollover crash tests, all aimed at helping consumers make informed vehicle purchasing decisions. The ratings, which can be found at nhtsa.gov/ratings, rate the test on a scale of one to five stars, with five being the best a vehicle can achieve.
The NCAP found that the Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport provide a combination of passive and active safety systems, with both vehicles featuring six airbags as standard, along with a number of electronic safety systems, such as anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control and Volkswagen’s automatic post-collision braking system and intelligent crash response system.
The 2020 Atlas also has been named to Cars.com’s 2020 Car Seat Check Honor Roll for a second consecutive year.
“Volkswagen has grown our SUV family to fit the needs of America’s families,” said Hein Schafer, senior vice president of product marketing and strategy. “Being recognized for the family-friendly features of Atlas is a sign that we’re getting it right.”
Cars.com’s annual Car Seat Check Honor Roll recognizes family vehicles that best fit car seats and have easy-to-use latch systems for car seat installation. To qualify for the listing, the vehicles must receive straight-A grades across all categories, which include rear-facing infant seats, rear-facing and forward-facing convertible and high-back booster seats. The 2020 Atlas scored all A’s for both the seven-passenger model and the six-passenger Atlas with second-row captain’s chairs.
Standout car seat features of the 2020 Atlas include accessible latch restraints for installation and a spacious second row bench that can comfortably fit three car seats. The third row is easily accessible when equipped with the standard second row bench or captain’s chairs, thanks to a folding mechanism, enabling seats to tilt and slide forward with child seats in place.
