Euro NCAP Conducts its First Ever Plug-in EV Crash Test with the i-MiEV and Gives it Four-Stars

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV is the first ever plug-in electric vehicle to be tested by Euro NCAP and marks the start of a series of EV crash-tests planned for this year. Besides the i-MiEV, the European safety institute also rated five conventional models: the BMW X1, Hyundai ix20, Dacia Duster, Mitsubishi ASX and Nissan Juke.

The EV obtained an overall four star rating, the same score being awarded to the i-MiEV's sister models, the Citroen C-Zero and Peugeot iOn, which have the same design and safety equipment. The result was judged as "creditable" by the Euro NCAP.

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Euro NCAP's Best and Worst Performers of 2010

The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP), which is similar to the American IIHS testing regimen, has released a list with the safest car in each vehicle category and the two worst performers overall of 2010. The cars that attained the coveted five star rating and achieved the highest overall score in their respective segment are:

------ Executive category: BMW 5 Series
------ Small Family category: Alfa Romeo Giulietta
------ Supermini category: Honda CR-Z
------ Small off-road 4×4 category: Kia Sportage
------ Small MPV category: Toyota Verso

On the other side of the fence are two models that achieved the poorest results of 2010. These are the Citroen Nemo with three stars and China's Landwind CV9 that received only two stars.

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Landwind CV9 MPV receives Two Stars in Euro NCAP's First Chinese Vehicle Rating

Euro NCAP has released its latest crash test results, including the data sheet for the first Chinese vehicle it has ever tested, the Landwind CV9. Although the Chinese maker claims it has revamped the car to meet "the strictest European safety standards", the mid-sized MPV only managed a two star rating. However, Euro NCAP noted that the CV9 came close to meeting the three star threshold for adult protection, so there's still hope for the Chinese maker.

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Euro NCAP: Q5, Jazz, i20, Soul and 3008 Achieve 5-Star Rating, Suzuki Alto gets only 3-Stars

European car safety testing body Euro-NCAP has announced its latest batch of results for six new cars. Five of these models, the Audi Q5, Honda Jazz, Hyundai i20, Kia Soul and Peugeot 3008 received Euro NCAP's maximum five star award while Suzuki's made-in-India Alto scored only three stars, its rating limited by its performance in adult occupant protection, child protection and safety assistance technologies. Euro NCAP made a special note on the Honda Jazz and the Hyundai i20 as both cars managed to achieve a high score in pedestrian safety.

"We would like to commend the Honda Jazz and the Hyundai i20 for their impressive pedestrian scores that not only meet current requirements, but also meet Euro NCAP's future requirements," Euro NCAP said in a statement.

All six vehicles were tested with Euro NCAP's new overall rating scheme that was introduced in 2009 and covers Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Pedestrian Protection and a new area of assessment, Safety Assist. Under the new testing regime, vehicles are awarded a single overall score from one to five stars with the overall rating being based on the car's performance in each of the four main areas and the scores are weighted with respect to each other.

Brilliance BS4: Not so Brilliant in ADAC Crash Tests, receives Zero Stars

ADAC, Germany's and Europe's largest automobile club - something like the AAA in the USA- has released the latest crash test results for the Brilliance BS4 sedan and the outcome for BMW's Chinese partner is far from good. In fact, in the new crash test procedure that was performed under Euro NCAP's stricter rating scheme that takes into consideration safety systems such as electronic stability control (ESC) and seat belt reminders, the BS4 received a zero star rating. ADAC notes however that in the previous rating system, the BS4 would have been awarded with three stars.

Still, ADAC's final report on the BS4 is that the compact sedan is "far away from the current safety standards" and that it poses several hazards to the driver's well being in the event of a crash noting for example that the steering wheel airbag is positioned incorrectly and that the clutch and brake pedals compromised protection for the driver's feet.

HSO Motors Europe, the official importer of the Brilliance brand in Europe questions ADAC's results saying that the German automobile club's counterparts in other European countries such as ÖAMTC in Austria and the Swiss and Dutch motor clubs, which co-funded the test, "unanimously evaluated the crash test by awarding three stars." The company's European importer also states that even though ADAC's test was based on the Euro NCAP rules, "it was not requested by the official Euro NCAP organization in Brussels".

And that brings us to our question; really, why hasn't Euro NCAP performed any tests on the Chinese automaker's European-market models?

HSO Motors Europe, Brilliance Importer - Official Statement on ADAC's Crash Test Results

Dear Colleague, You definitely already know that the ADAC has subjected our new BS4 series to a crash test in compliance with Euro NCAP. The results: three stars based on the old measurement method but zero stars according to the new procedure. The remarkable thing is that ADAC's counterparts in other countries, including the ÖAMTC in Austria and the Swiss and Dutch motor clubs, which co-funded the test, unanimously evaluated the crash test by awarding three stars. Only the ADAC has shocked the public with its bad news. The ADAC is misleading the press, policymakers and consumers by eliminating all of the stars and equating its zero-star rating with zero safety. The other participating motor clubs have provided much more transparent information.

In an initial statement, Focus-online has summed up this matter as follows: "The zero-star rating leads clueless buyers to believe that the BS4 is a totally unsafe car — which it is quite definitely not. Its crash test results may not be brilliant, but they are sound."

Why is this evaluation so inconsistent with that of the other European motor clubs which co-funded the test? Why has only the German motor club released a different result, despite having presumably coordinated the testing and evaluation procedures with the other clubs? How much importance can be attached to a test whose outcome must have already been clear to the ADAC in advance, considering how our cars are equipped?

And how much confidence can European consumers place in a test if its results are interpreted so differently?

It is hard to shake off the impression that a card with political dimensions is being played here — and not just in the German market. Also undeniable is that, although the test was based on the Euro NCAP rules, it was not requested by the official Euro NCAP organization in Brussels.

HSO Motors Europe, the general importer of the Brilliance brand in Europe, will now thoroughly check and assess the results together with the manufacturer, Brilliance Auto Shenyang. We are proud of being able to say to our customers, our dealers, our business partners and everyone else that Brilliance has, quite objectively assessed, made significant progress and will continue to follow this path.

New VW Golf Receives 5-Stars in Updated EuroNCAP Tests

EuroNcap today released its revised crash test results for the sixth-generation Volkswagen Golf. Despite the stricter and more comprehensive assessment criteria of EuroNCAP's updated crash test programme, the German hatchback gained the highest score of five stars. Since February 2009, a vehicle must receive a minimum value in all four categories (adult, child and pedestrian protection, plus safety assist) as well as in the overall assessment to gain a five star award.

Additionally, in the new assessment procedure, electronic safety and assistant systems such as ESC (electronic stability control) that help to prevent accidents and avoid serious injury are also included in the evaluation.

Honda Accord Achieves 5-Stars at Euro Ncap's Revised Rating System

The latest generation Honda Accord (sold in the States as the Acura TSX) has been awarded with five-stars under Euro NCAP's revised safety rating scheme that replaces the three separate ratings for pedestrian impact, adult and child protection with a single five-star rating. In the previous rating system, the Accord had a 5 star adult occupant, 4 star child occupant and 3 star pedestrian protection scores

Euro NCAP's new rating scheme uses a weighted score that combines adult (50 per cent), child (20 per cent) and pedestrian (20 per cent) protection assessment results with the availability of safety assistance devices such as the electronic stability control (10 per cent). Under the new rating system, a minimum score of 70 per cent overall is necessary for a 5-star rating. Honda's Accord achieved an overall weighted score of 78 percent.

EuroNCAP's Revised Safety Ratings for Six New Cars Including Mazda6, Avensis and Impreza

The European organization for the assessment of vehicle safety has published the first results under its updated rating system. Up until now, Euro NCAP made three separate ratings available for each vehicle, but with the new system there's an overall rating for every car covering Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Pedestrian Protection and a new area of assessment, Safety Assist which takes into account systems such as electronic stability control (ESC) and seat belt reminders.

Of the six cars tested under the new ratings system, four managed to achieve Euro NCAP's maximum award of five stars: the Mazda 6, Mitsubishi Lancer, Toyota Avensis and Toyota iQ. Citroen's C3 Picasso minivan and the Subaru Impreza were both awarded four stars.

According to Euro NCAP, with the exception of the Subaru Impreza, all the other cars failed to impress on pedestrian protection.

After the announcement of the results, Mitsubishi and Subaru both said that they would change their ESC (electronic stability control) fitment policies for the Lancer and Impreza, as variants of these models without optional ESC were offered in some Euroepan countries.

Euro NCAP's new rating scheme requires all safety equipment, including ESC, to be standard on 85% of volume sales and at least optionally available on every variant.