21st Century Insurance announced Jan. 4 a collaboration with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, producing a crash test ratings guide that provides consumers with nationally recognized safety rankings for 2002 vehicle models. Unveiled at the 2002 Greater Los Angeles Auto Show, the brochure is intended to assist consumers in evaluating potential new vehicle purchases.

Each year, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety ranks crashworthiness evaluation results for a broad spectrum of vehicles, spanning a range of manufacturers and the largest portions of new car sales. The rankings evaluate different safety criteria and rank vehicles as "poor", "marginal", "acceptable", "good" and "best picks". Historically, the data has been solely housed on the Institute's web site. Seeking to leverage industry data and consumer group protections, 21st Century Insurance joined forces this year with the Institute to prepare the first-ever printed version of the performance rankings, delivering the evaluations to a far wider audience than ever before.

"Since 1958, 21st Century has been a leader in providing reliable and high quality automobile insurance to Californians," said Bruce Marlow, chief executive officer for 21st Century Insurance Group. "The vehicle safety guide, produced in cooperation with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, illustrates our company's continuing commitment to a quality product but also to great customer service."

"We are pleased to participate in this year's Los Angeles Auto Show and hope our comprehensive ratings guide will prove useful to consumers as they consider new vehicles for themselves and their families," added Marlow.

The annual Greater Los Angeles Auto Show runs January 5-13, 2002. The show debuts 2002 production and concept vehicles for both the automobile industry and the greater public, and launches a year-long string of international automobile shows and conferences.

Celebrating its California birthplace and 1958 founding date, the company has recreated a fully functional fifties diner, complete with a mint condition, cherry red 1958 Ford Thunderbird convertible, for its showcase booth at the Auto Show. "The diner represents a time when service focused on the specific individual needs of the customer," said Joyce Prager, community marketing director for 21st Century Insurance Group. "As evidenced by the new safety guide, 21st Century is successfully combining this tradition with the advancements of the new millennium."

Founded in 1958, 21st Century Insurance Group is a provider of direct-to-consumer marketing of personal automobile insurance, serving customers in California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. The company offers full service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year at 1-800-211-SAVE and its company web site, www.i21.com.