Global NCAP has partnered with the Automobile Association to launch the “Safer Cars for Africa” campaign in South Africa, releasing the independent crash-test results of five budget vehicles that sell particularly well on local shores.
The AA says combined sales of these five cars accounted for around 65% of all the new cars sold in South Africa last year. Global NCAP chose the entry-level version of each model, with the bodyshells of two of them proving “unstable”. The results, the AA says, highlight differences in the structural integrity of the vehicles tested.
The safety authority purchased the vehicles new in South Africa before shipping them to the ADAC test facility in Landsberg, Germany, where they were each put through a full crash-test evaluation. CAR magazine technical editor Nicol Louw was there to witness three of the tests, and filmed Alejandro Furas, Global NCAP’s technical director, providing a few insights into the set-up procedure (watch that video below).
The five vehicles tested were the Chery QQ3, Datsun GO+, Renault Sandero, Toyota Etios hatchback and outgoing Volkswagen Polo Vivo hatchback (the country’s best-selling passenger vehicle). The crashworthiness results of the five cars tested show a wide range of safety performance.
The Etios returned the best results of the bunch, scoring four stars for adult occupancy and three stars for child occupancy. The Sandero was next in line, bagging three stars for adult occupancy and four stars for child occupancy.
The current Polo Vivo, which is likely to soon be replaced by a new model in SA, scored three stars in each of the two categories, while the Datsun GO+ had to settle for one star in the adult occupancy segment and two for child protection. The airbag-less Chery QQ3, meanwhile, failed to score a single star…
“The crash tests represent an important step in road safety in South Africa. We believe consumers have a right to know what the safety ratings are on the cars they want to buy,” said Collins Khumalo, CEO of the AA SA.
“These results are critical to educating the public about vehicle safety, but, more than that, they empower road users to make informed decisions. In the same way emissions and green ratings are displayed on vehicles, we think safety ratings should also be displayed on vehicles, and we don’t believe this should be too much of a challenge to make happen.”
Click on the vehicle name below to watch its crash-test footage and read the full results:
Chery QQ3
Datsun GO+
Renault Sandero
Toyota Etios
Volkswagen Polo Vivo
