“NHTSA has been viewed by the motor vehicle industry for years as a lapdog, not a watchdog,” Joan Claybrook, a former NHTSA administrator under President Jimmy Carter, said in prepared testimony.

Congress is considering new auto industry reforms following Toyotas recalls to fix problems with accelerator pedals and brakes. NHTSA has tied 52 deaths to crashes allegedly caused by the accelerator problems, and the agency has received new complaints from owners who had their cars fixed and said their vehicles suddenly accelerated.

A panel of the House Energy and Commerce Committee was to hear from David Strickland, NHTSAs administrator; David McCurdy, president of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, a trade group which represents 11 vehicle manufacturers; Ami Gadhia, policy counsel with Consumers Union; and Claybrook, the former head of watchdog group Public Citizen.

The Transportation Department has defended its work in policing the auto industry, noting that it dispatched safety officials to Japan late last year to urge the company to take safety concerns seriously. Toyota president Akio Toyoda recently met with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and told him the company would “advance safety to the next level.”

The agency has been investigating potential electronic problems in Toyota cars and trucks. Toyota has said it has found no evidence of problems with its vehicles electronic throttle controls but is also studying the issue.

Automakers point to declines in highway fatalities and the use of safety technology such as anti-rollover electronic stability control as signs of safety improvements on the road. “This is not an industrywide crisis,” McCurdy said in an interview.

Crisis or not, Congress is considering several reforms that could bring the biggest auto safety changes since the TREAD Act, which was approved in 2000 to help the government spot safety defects more quickly following the massive Firestone tire recall.

Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., who leads a Senate committee with oversight of the industry, has expressed interest in “strong legislative action,” including requiring brake override system on all vehicles. Toyota is bringing the system to new vehicles and many of the cars and trucks under recall to provide an additional safety precaution.

LaHood told lawmakers his agency may recommend every new vehicle sold in the United States be equipped with the brake overrides, something that would require a relatively inexpensive software upgrade.

Other potential reforms include raising penalties on automakers who fail to recall defective vehicles in a timely manner, requiring car executives to certify the information they provide to NHTSA and mandating car makers provide hardware that dealers need to read electronic data recorders. The “black box” information could help investigators make their own judgments about what has been going wrong.

NHTSA could also receive more funding. Many lawmakers question whether the agency has enough skilled engineers who can understand the complicated electronics of modern cars and trucks.

Source

Samsung has been engulfed in legal uncertainty in recent years and the decisions are likely to help remove some of that burden. Samsung Electronics Co., the groups flagship corporation, has been without a chairman since Lee stepped down last year after being indicted on tax evasion and breach of trust charges.

Samsung Group comprises dozens of companies. Besides electronics, it has interests in shipbuilding, construction, insurance and leisure. Its companies account for a big slice of South Koreas exports.

The Supreme Court also threw out convictions for two Samsung executives who had been found guilty of selling convertible bonds in a Samsung unit to Lees children at prices less-than-market value. The court said that it could not find that the executives had violated breach of trust laws in the case and sent it back to the Seoul High Court for reconsideration.

The executives were both former heads of Samsung Everland, an amusement park operator seen as a defacto holding company for the conglomerate. Both are no longer with the conglomerate, according to spokesman Reuben Staines, who also said Samsung had no comment on the top court rulings.

Critics have claimed the convertible bond sale was arranged to enable the elder Lee to hand the Samsung reins to his son, Lee Jae-yong, who is an executive at Samsung Electronics. Civic groups have dogged the conglomerate for years, claiming its opaque ownership structure based on cross-shareholdings by group companies led to abuses and was meant to ensure the Lee family maintains control.

The elder Lee, who led Samsung for 20 years following the death of his father, the conglomerates founder, was convicted last year on the tax evasion charges and given a suspended prison term. That conviction was later upheld by the Seoul High Court.

Lee, 67, is a South Korean corporate icon who has personified Samsung. He is widely credited with turning Samsung Electronics into a global brand.

He was indicted in April last year following a probe by special prosecutors into allegations of wrongdoing aired by a former Samsung lawyer.

Shares in Samsung Electronics declined 0.2 percent to close at 558,000 won ($442). The court decisions were announced before the stock market closed.

—

Associated Press Writer Ji Youn Oh contributed to this report.

Source

“Thats an impressive number,” said Joe Fleischer, the head of marketing and co-founder of Beverly Hills, California- based BigChampagne. “If people want the content and can download it on the Internet, which is pretty much all content types, they are going to do it.”

“Sims” games have sold more than 100 million copies since 2000, more than any other titles for the personal computer. The availability of “Sims 3″ on the Internet highlights the difficulty video-game companies have keeping products under wraps until the official release, just like their counterparts in film and music.

“Thats the nature of the business these days,” Evan Wilson, an industry analyst at Pacific Crest Securities Inc. in Portland, Oregon. “PC games are available before they are released. Thats an issue they have been dealing with for some time.”

Last year, piracy accounted for 41 percent of installed PC software, according to the Business Software Alliance.

On the Pirate Bay file-sharing site, users traded comments on downloading “The Sims 3,” a game in which users build and maintain virtual communities.

Cant… Afford… Buying

“More Sims! Cant… afford… buying,” a downloader named “Pengy” wrote in a comment on May 20.

“Great upload thanks,” user “tj01″ wrote on May 19. “Still going to buy it when it comes out though.”

Electronic Arts spokesman Jeff Brown didnt return calls seeking comment.

The company chose to release the game without Digital Rights Management, coding that makes software harder to copy. Electronic Arts, based in Redwood City, California, came under criticism from users last year when “Spore,” a game designed by “Sims” creator Will Wright, included protections that limited the number of copies.

Lost Sales

Electronic Arts fell 7 cents to $22.01 yesterday in Nasdaq Stock Market trading, and has climbed 37 percent this year.

The current number of illegal downloads of “The Sims 3″ suggests lost retail sales of $9 million to date, based on the $49.99 starting price.

“The Sims 3″ is the biggest computer game release of the year, Pacific Crests Wilson said. He projects Electronic Arts will sell 2.5 million copies in June, fewer than the 3 million “Sims 2″ sold in the first two weeks, in part because of piracy. PC games were 12 percent of Electronic Arts revenue last year.

The Entertainment Software Association, the Washington- based trade group for the video-game industry, estimates file- sharing costs companies billions of dollars a year.

“Piracy is the single greatest threat to the development and release of innovative and creative entertainment software,” Michael Gallagher, chief executive officer of the group, said in an April 17 statement supporting the prison sentence given to the operators of Pirate Bay.

News Corp.s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” leaked a month before the film hit theaters. A copy of U2s latest record “No Line on the Horizon” also was available on file-sharing sites before reaching stores.

Source

The number of Wii consoles sold in the U.S. slumped 52 percent in April following a 17 percent fall in March, according to researcher NPD Group Inc. The slide led a 17 percent drop in revenue for the industry last month. Electronic Arts is adding Wii games including “EA Sports Active” as part of a turnaround plan that includes the release of “The Sims 3″ on June 2, shuttering development studios and the elimination of 1,100 jobs.

Results from new Wii games, which include golf and tennis titles, and “Sims 3″ will improve perceptions of Electronic Arts among investors after a disappointing holiday period forced the company to make a “cost reset,” Riccitiello said.

“The reality and the perception will align when we prove that weve managed our costs effectively and weve managed to grow” revenue, Riccitiello said.

Nintendo, based in Kyoto, Japan, has slumped 24 percent this year on the Osaka Securities Exchange on concern slowing purchases will crimp earnings. Sales at the company fell 15 percent in January to March from a year earlier, the biggest quarterly decline since the three months ended September 2004, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Revenue Goals

In February 2008, Riccitiello told industry analysts that Electronic Arts was on pace to have $6 billion in revenue by the fiscal year ending in March 2011. In the May 18 interview, Riccitiello said the company had suspended that target and plans to readdress it later this year.

Electronic Arts didnt manage its marketing budget well and picked poor release dates for new games, Riccitiello said. New titles are typically referred to as intellectual property, or IP.

“We probably spread our marketing dollars too evenly over our titles as opposed to emphasizing our hits,” Riccitiello said. “We probably shouldnt have put new IP into the market against established IP when the world economy was crumbling.”

Electronic Arts gained 54 cents, or 2.5 percent, to $22.07 at 4 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. The shares have fallen 54 percent in the past 12 months.

Wii sales also will pick up when Nintendo cuts the price, Riccitiello said. The 2 1/2 years Nintendo has maintained the $249.99 price is an industry record, he said.

“The day that they hit $199, or ultimately $149, you are going to see a very sizable pickup,” said Riccitiello. He said he didnt have any information about Nintendos plans.

Nintendo, the worlds largest maker of video-game players, said on May 7 that Wii sales will rise less than 1 percent in the fiscal year ending March 2010 to 26 million consoles worldwide. President Satoru Iwata said hes “not optimistic” about demand outside Japan.

The “Active” game, which costs $60, uses the Wiis motion- sensing controllers and balance board to track players movements as they follow along with a virtual trainer. Players can make custom workouts and log how many calories they burn.

The game is being marketed to women with the help of Bob Greene, the personal trainer for television host Oprah Winfrey. It will compete against Nintendos “Wii Fit,” an exercise game that has sold 6.96 million copies in the U.S., according to Nintendo.

Source

The number of Wii consoles sold in the U.S. slumped 52 percent in April following a 17 percent fall in March, according to researcher NPD Group Inc. The slide led a 17 percent drop in revenue for the industry last month. Electronic Arts is adding Wii games including “EA Sports Active” as part of a turnaround plan that includes the release of “The Sims 3″ on June 2, shuttering development studios and the elimination of 1,100 jobs.

Results from new Wii games, which include golf and tennis titles, and “Sims 3″ will improve perceptions of Electronic Arts among investors after a disappointing holiday period forced the company to make a “cost reset,” Riccitiello said.

“The reality and the perception will align when we prove that weve managed our costs effectively and weve managed to grow” revenue, Riccitiello said.

Nintendo, based in Kyoto, Japan, has slumped 24 percent this year on the Osaka Securities Exchange on concern slowing purchases will crimp earnings. Sales at the company fell 15 percent in January to March from a year earlier, the biggest quarterly decline since the three months ended September 2004, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Revenue Goals

In February 2008, Riccitiello told industry analysts that Electronic Arts was on pace to have $6 billion in revenue by the fiscal year ending in March 2011. In the May 18 interview, Riccitiello said the company had suspended that target and plans to readdress it later this year.

Electronic Arts didnt manage its marketing budget well and picked poor release dates for new games, Riccitiello said. New titles are typically referred to as intellectual property, or IP.

“We probably spread our marketing dollars too evenly over our titles as opposed to emphasizing our hits,” Riccitiello said. “We probably shouldnt have put new IP into the market against established IP when the world economy was crumbling.”

Electronic Arts gained 54 cents, or 2.5 percent, to $22.07 at 4 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. The shares have fallen 54 percent in the past 12 months.

Wii sales also will pick up when Nintendo cuts the price, Riccitiello said. The 2 1/2 years Nintendo has maintained the $249.99 price is an industry record, he said.

“The day that they hit $199, or ultimately $149, you are going to see a very sizable pickup,” said Riccitiello. He said he didnt have any information about Nintendos plans.

Nintendo, the worlds largest maker of video-game players, said on May 7 that Wii sales will rise less than 1 percent in the fiscal year ending March 2010 to 26 million consoles worldwide. President Satoru Iwata said hes “not optimistic” about demand outside Japan.

The “Active” game, which costs $60, uses the Wiis motion- sensing controllers and balance board to track players movements as they follow along with a virtual trainer. Players can make custom workouts and log how many calories they burn.

The game is being marketed to women with the help of Bob Greene, the personal trainer for television host Oprah Winfrey. It will compete against Nintendos “Wii Fit,” an exercise game that has sold 6.96 million copies in the U.S., according to Nintendo.

Source

Hit by dropping sales and the strong yen, Sony lost 165 billion yen in the January-March quarter, compared to a 29 billion yen profit for the same period the previous year.

Sony joins a string of other big Japanese corporate names, including Toyota Motor Corp. and Hitachi Ltd., that have announced huge losses - and bleak outlooks.

Analysts say Sonys Chief Executive Howard Stringer, who decided to center power in his position earlier this year by also becoming president, has yet to give details of a turnaround plan, including strategies and products.

Stringer, a Welsh-born American and the first foreigner to head Sony, has promoted four relatively young Japanese executives onto his managerial team. Representing the companys gaming and electronics sectors, they aim to take advantage of Sonys sprawling empire to differentiate it from a host of rivals such as South Koreas Samsung Electronics Co. and Taiwans Acer Inc., which are better at producing cheaper products.

The fiscal year loss, while big, was better than Sonys forecast for a 150 billion yen shortfall. Sony said the result wasnt as bad partly because TV prices held up better than expected. A one-time gain from a change in Japanese tax laws also helped, it said.

But the electronics and entertainment company said no quick recovery was in sight, projecting a 120 billion yen ($1.2 billion) loss for the fiscal year through March 2010.

Sony continued to lose money in its game segment, where its PlayStation 3 home console and PlayStation Portable have struggled against rival offerings from Nintendo Co., the Wii and DS, as well as in some markets against the Xbox 360 from Microsoft Corp.

Koya Tabata, analyst with Credit Suisse in Tokyo, said the forecast was in line with what he had expected. Sony must in the short run fix its electronics inventory as one step in turning its business around, he said.

“In the longer term, we are all waiting for the PlayStation network business to deliver profits. But that depends on management.”

Sony sold 10.06 million PlayStation 3 machines for the fiscal year through March, up 10 percent from the previous year. It also sold more PlayStation Portable machines, at 14.11 million during the fiscal year, up slightly from 13.81 million.

The results for the fiscal year through March were a reversal from the 369.4 billion yen profit Sony recorded a year earlier. Annual sales slid 12.9 percent to 7.73 trillion yen, it said.

Sony is closing three plants in Japan by the end of December - one for cell-phone cameras, another for video recorder parts and another for systems used for smart cards. After they are shuttered, the number of plants around the world will dwindle from 57 last year to 49.

The company said it was on track with its previously announced plan to reduce 8,000 of its 185,000 jobs around the world, and trim another 8,000 temporary workers who arent included in the global work force tally.

Sony said it had an operating loss in its core electronics segment because of the slowing global economy, price competition and a strong yen, which erased any benefits from better liquid-crystal display TVs.

In its movies division, home entertainment sales declined. They were not offset by some of its stronger motion picture releases, including “Hancock.”

Sony stock dropped 6.8 percent to 2,400 yen in Tokyo. Earnings were announced after trading ended.

Source

Renesas, a semiconductor venture of Hitachi Ltd. and Mitsubishi Electric Corp., and NEC Electronics, the chip unit of NEC Corp., aim to reach an agreement this month and combine by April 2010, the Nikkei said. A merger would create Japans biggest chipmaker with annual sales of more than 1.2 trillion yen ($12 billion), it said.

Chipmakers are seeking to consolidate as the global recession drives down demand for chips used in automobiles, flat-panel televisions and mobile phones. Semiconductor-industry sales are projected to fall 24 percent this year, research firm Gartner Inc. said in February.

“Restructuring in this industry is inevitable and has been a long time coming,” Yukihiko Shimada, an analyst at Mitsubishi UFJ Securities Co., said by telephone. “In the long term, the merger could save the two companies from meaningless competition in the microcontroller business” and chips for mobile phones.

Shimada rates NEC Electronics shares “market perform.”

Competitors In Microcontrollers

Shares of NEC Electronics, Japans fourth-largest chipmaker, jumped 12 percent to close at 930 yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the biggest gain since Dec. 22. Renesas, the countrys second-largest semiconductor maker, is unlisted.

NEC Electronics and Renesas compete in the production of microcontrollers, mini-computers dedicated to a specific function, such as operating a liquid-crystal display in a microwave oven, cruise-control in a car, or remote control for a DVD player. They also make chips that operate LCDs, semiconductors that control wireless signals in mobile phones and analog devices.

Hirotaka Ohno, a spokesman at Tokyo-based Renesas, said nothing has been decided, declining to confirm or deny talks have taken place with NEC Electronics. Mitsubishi Electric, which owns 45 percent of Renesas, and NEC, which owns 70 percent of NEC Electronics, said in separate statements to the Tokyo Stock Exchange the Nikkei report isnt based on their announcements and nothing has been decided.

Taiwanese Chipmakers

Hitachi, which controls the remaining 55 percent of Renesas, isnt the source of the report, the companys spokesman Atsushi Konno said by telephone. Nothing has been decided, he said.

The partnership may help Elpida, which posted a fifth straight quarterly loss in the three months ended Dec. 31, become more competitive by lowering research costs, and bolster its capital. The Tokyo-based chipmaker earlier this month said it may sell a stake of about 10 percent to the Taiwanese venture.

Two Unprofitable Companies

Renesas expects to record a record loss this fiscal year and wont turn profitable until the 12 months ending March 2011, the company said yesterday.

NEC Electronics forecast in January its net loss will probably reach 65 billion yen for the 12 months ended March 31, its fourth straight year of deficits. The same month, Renesas forecast a 206 billion yen net loss as the company books restructuring and tax-related charges and sales slump 29 percent.

Renesas is consolidating production lines, cutting wages and reducing research spending to slash costs by about 80 billion yen in the 12 months started April 1, President Yasushi Akao said in an interview in Tokyo yesterday.

The company last month sold 54 billion yen of its shares to Hitachi and Mitsubishi Electric, Akao said.

NEC Electronics is cutting 86 percent of its temporary workforce, slashing research spending and closing productions lines.

Source

The reassignment of Chubachi, a 32-year veteran at Sony, may help clear the way for Stringer to reorganize the company as the global recession erodes sales. Sony is cutting 16,000 workers and shutting plants to weather a slump that forced the worlds second-largest maker of consumer electronics to forecast a record 260 billion yen ($2.7 billion) full-year operating loss.

“The Japanese cant take decisive actions toward their comrades during hardship,” said Yuuki Sakurai, general manager of financial and investment planning at Tokyo-based Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance Co., which manages $54 billion in assets. “As a non-Japanese without such loyalties, Stringer is better positioned to conduct the large-scale restructuring that Sony has to do.”

Sony rose 2 percent to close at 1,668 yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange before the companys announcement, while the Nikkei 225 Stock Average climbed 1.5 percent. The stock fell 69 percent in 2008, after gaining for four straight years.

Non-Japanese Head

Stringer, a Welsh-born U.S. citizen, became the first non- Japanese to head Sony when he was appointed in June 2005. Before joining the electronics maker in May 1997, Stringer was president of CBS Inc., where he stayed for three decades, and chief executive officer of media and technology company TELE-TV.

Chubachi spent much of his career at Sony working in the recording media business and was instrumental in developing the 8-millimeter video camera, according to the companys Web site. He became president in June 2005.

“Chubachi personifies Sonys enthusiasm for hardware, while Stringer represents its software focus,” Sakurai said. “The company has now concluded it cant focus on both.”

Stringer said in December 2007 he plans to connect Sonys flagship PlayStation 3 console with its other electronics such as mobile phones as part of a growth plan starting this fiscal year ending March 31. The strategy builds on plans by Nobuyuki Idei, who Stringer replaced amid investor discontent over failure to meet business targets.

New Groups

The company said today it will combine its VAIO personal- computer, Walkman and Sony Computer Entertainment game businesses in the newly formed Networked Products & Services Group to focus on creating gadgets that can work with each other and connect to the Internet. Kazuo Hirai, 48, whos in charge of the game business, will head the new division.

The electronics maker said it will also create a software and technology team and a manufacturing and procurement team across divisions to bolster connectivity of products and services and save costs.

“These moves are bolder than we had anticipated and are positive,” Hitoshi Kuriyama, an analyst at Bank of America Corp.s Merrill Lynch & Co., wrote in a report. “We believe the new management and organization will be effective in bringing out Sonys potential in this new networked age.”

Cost Savings

The reorganization will allow the company to save $3 billion in costs in the year starting April 1, more than the previously estimated $2.5 billion, Stringer said at a briefing in Tokyo.

The new management team will face the challenge of reviving earnings when demand for electronics, computers and mobile phones is falling because of the recession. The company will probably be unprofitable until next fiscal year, according to the average of analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

“This is the worst recession of our lifetime,” Stringer said. “But in difficult times, there is opportunity.”

Sony said its chip, electronic devices, and chemical and energy businesses, including batteries, will remain under its Semiconductor & Component Group.

Source

The Suwon, South Korea-based company has struggled with falling prices for chips and flat screens and waning consumer appetite. Japanese electronics giant Sony Corp. on Thursday projected its first annual loss in 14 years.

The results showed that “our company could not escape the rapid decline in the global economy,” Robert Yi, vice president for investor relations, told a conference call.

The result wasnt as bad as the net loss of 92.93 billion won forecast by an Associated Press survey of 10 analysts. But on an operating basis, the company racked up red ink to the tune of 940 billion won, much worse than the forecast of a loss of 319 billion won. That loss was also a first.

Operating earnings are seen as a direct indicator of core business performance while net profit or loss also reflects taxes, dividends, asset sales and other items.

“The global economic slowdown had an adverse effect on consumer purchases of electronics goods in the fourth quarter, traditionally a strong period for electronics companies,” Samsung said in the release.

Fourth quarter sales rose to 18.45 trillion won from 17.48 trillion won the year before, but less than the 20 trillion won expected by analysts.

Samsung shares fell 3.4 percent to 445,500 won in morning trading. The company announced results less than one hour after the stock market opened.

On the bright side, Samsung said mobile phone sales rose to a record during the quarter despite a 5 percent contraction in the global market for handsets. The company is the worlds No. 2 mobile phone manufacturer.

Samsung announced a major restructuring last week, consolidating business operations into two divisions. This week the company said it had replaced most of the heads of its overseas regional headquarters.

It also announced the redeployment of more than 80 percent of the almost 1,400 employees at its Seoul headquarters.

Source: ctnhr

“The sheer number of this years winners indicates that automakers have made huge strides to improve crash protection,” said Institute president Adrian Lund.

The selected vehicles are the best in protecting people in front, side and rear crash tests based on institute evaluations during the year. The vehicles are required to have electronic stability control, or ESC, to qualify for the award.

IIHS said electronic stability control is now standard equipment on virtually all new SUVs and three-quarters of passenger cars for the 2009 model year. ESC is standard on more than one-third of 2009 pickups.

Ford was led by the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan midsize cars with optional ESC; the Ford F-150 pickup, Ford Edge and Ford Flex midsize sport utility vehicles; and the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner small SUVs. The list also included the Mazda Tribute, which has the same underpinnings as the Escape and Mariner.

Ford CEO Alan Mulally argued last week in Washington that the automaker had made safety strides when he testified along with other Big Three executives seeking massive government aid.

“Every year, were going to improve the quality, were going to improve the fuel efficiency, were going to improve the safety, and were going to keep improving the productivity so we can offer the consumer the very best value,” Mulally told a House committee.

Honda and its Acura unit had vehicles in nearly every category, including top-sellers such as the Honda Accord; the Honda Civic 4-door with optional ESC; and the Acura MDX and RDX midsize SUVs; and the Honda Fit with optional ESC. The Fit is the first mini-car to earn the safety award.

Volkswagen AG and its Audi brand had nine vehicles on the list, including the Volkswagen Jetta and Passat and the Audi A3, A4 and A6.

General Motors Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. both had eight vehicles on the list. GMs included the Cadillac CTS and the Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook large SUVs.

Toyotas top performers were the Toyota Corolla with optional ESC, Toyota RAV4, Toyota Tacoma, Toyota Tundra and Scion xB.

The institute has advocated for an early adoption of anti-rollover technology such as ESC ahead of a government requirement for the systems by the 2012 model year.

Electronic stability control senses when a driver may lose control and automatically applies brakes to individual wheels to keep the vehicle stable and avoid a rollover. It helps motorists avoid skidding across icy or slick roads or keep control when swerving to avoid an unexpected object in the road.

IIHS said Chrysler LLC was the only major automaker that did not receive a single award. They said Chrysler could have picked up five awards if the head restraints had been improved in the Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring, the Sebring convertible and the Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country.

Chrysler spokesman Cole Quinnell said he could not comment on whether the head restraints might be upgraded in the future. He said Chrysler vehicles are equipped with a variety of safety features and the institutes results “are just one of the sources of information about a vehicles crash performance.”

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Source: okokl