The latest round of crash tests conducted by Global NCAP and AA South Africa on popular vehicles has resulted in “alarming” results.
The AA and Global NCAP highlighted three models which were tested:
- Great Wall Steed 5
- Haval H1
- Renault Kwid
“The three models tested all gave serious cause for concern, with poor levels of adult and child protection,” stated the organisations.
Alejandro Furas, the Global NCAP Secretary General, said the Steed 5 produced a “zero star” safety rating.
“Another zero star rated bakkie gives us very serious cause for concern in our latest crash test results for Africa,” said Furas.
“The potential for life-threatening injury in the Steed 5 follows the zero star performance of the Nissan Hardbody pick up.”
Willem Groenewald, AA South Africa CEO, added that the results are a cause for concern in the market.
“Since the SaferCarsForAfrica programme’s first results were launched in 2017, we’ve been calling for an improvement in the safety standards set by the government,” said Groenewald.
“These results again confirm the urgent need for this to happen – we simply cannot have unsafe cars on our roads anymore.”
The findings from the crash tests are detailed below, followed by individual summaries and videos of the crash tests.
Great Wall Steed 5 – 0 stars
The Steed 5 was tested “in the basic version” without airbags.
“Driver dummy readings showed a red head and brown chest and neck – which translates into poor protection for the head and weak protection for the neck and chest,” stated the report.
“The structure was considered as unstable as was the footwell area. The deformation in the passenger compartment and movement of the steering column questions if an airbag would be able to prevent serious injuries to the driver.”
It added that the manufacturer “decided not to recommend a child restraint system” for the test and zero points were awarded for the child occupant dynamic assessment score.
The Steed 5 does not have ISOFIX anchorages for the child seats in the rear and lacks three point belts in all seating positions, concluded the report.
Renault Kwid – 2 stars
In Africa, the Renault Kwid – with the recent facelift – offers two airbags as standard.
“The protection offered to the driver head was rated adequate and good for the passengers. Both necks show good protection, but the driver chest showed weak protection,” stated the report.
“An unstable body structure, unstable footwell structure, and pedal movement explain the two stars for adult occupant protection.”
“The child occupant protection showed poor performance as the head contacted the interior of the car. The lack of three point belts in all seating positions and lack of ISOFIX anchorages contribute to the two star rating for child occupant protection.”
Haval H1 – 2 stars
The Haval H1 offers two airbags as standard.
“The injuries recorded in the driver and passenger head and neck showed good protection,” stated the report.
“Driver chest showed weak protection and passenger chest showed good protection. Feet showed poor protection, which together with the driver readings, unstable structure, and unstable footwell area explain the two star rating for adult occupant protection.”
“Child occupant protection was negatively affected because the manufacturer refused to indicate a child restraint system for use in the test, bringing dynamic points to zero.”
“Both child dummies heads contacted the car during the test, threatening the safety of the child occupants.”
“Lack of proper ISOFIX markings and the lack of a passenger airbag disabling switch resulted in a two star child occupant protection rating for the H1.”
Keyword: Great Wall Steed 5, Haval H1, and Renault Kwid South African crash tests – “Serious cause for concern”