Hyundai Genesis Passes U.S. Safety Test with Flying Colors

Hyundai's new Genesis sedan received top ratings in all 29 categories of a safety test by the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

The IIHS' safety rating serves as a barometer for most consumers in the U.S.

It rates vehicles in four groups -- good, acceptable, marginal, and poor -- based on five crash tests.

Hyundai on Thursday claimed the Genesis is the first sedan in the world to receive a "good" rating in all categories.

It was given the top mark in the small overlap test, which is regarded as the most difficult and was introduced last year to raise the bar. In the test, a vehicle travels at 40 mph toward a barrier with a deformable face made of aluminum honeycomb, and 25 percent of the front bumper strikes the barrier on the driver side.

Only 22 out of 180 new cars released in 2014 in the U.S. received the top rating in this test at the end of last year.

Hyundai is visibly relieved by the results after a string of recalls and other embarrassments, and is hopeful that this result will contribute positively to sales of the new Genesis in the U.S. from this month.

When the car was released in Korea at the end of last year, it received some criticism that too much focus on safety came with sacrifices in fuel efficiency.

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