ASEAN NCAP Releases First Independent Crash Test Results For Southeast Asia
The first crash test results of ASEAN NCAP, the new car assessment programme for South East Asia, were released on 31 January in Melaka Malaysia. Seven cars have been assessed by ASEAN NCAP, the first time that cars have been crash tested in the region. The testing is the result of a collaboration between the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) and Global NCAP. The models tested under the ASEAN NCAP offset frontal collision protocol are: Honda City, Toyota Vios, Hyundai i10, Proton Saga, Perodua Myvi, Ford Fiesta and Nissan March.
The results show encouraging progress by some manufacturers, but worryingly low levels of safety at the bottom end of the scale. Two models – the Ford Fiesta and Honda City achieved five stars for adult occupant protection. Meanwhile the Toyota Vios and Nissan March both achieved four stars for adult protection. The results of the Perodua Myvi (3 stars) the Hyundai i10 (two stars) and Proton Saga (one star) show there is still much more that can be done to improve vehicle safety.
David Ward Secretary General of Global NCAP said: “Consumers in the ASEAN region should expect the same levels of safety as people in regions that have established crash testing programmes. These results show that it’s perfectly possible to produce affordable cars with the top level of safety standards for emerging markets. However, the disparity with those models at the lowest end of the scale is worrying.”
The crash tests have been coordinated by the Miros and are supported by the FIA Foundation and Global NCAP. ASEAN NCAP is also supported by the membership of automobile associations from Malaysia (AAM), the Philippines (AAP) and Singapore (AA Singapore).
The Malaysian Government has applied the UN’s regulation for frontal impact to all new passenger cars. This is in line with the recommendations on vehicle safety included in the Global Plan of the Decade of Action for Road Safety.
Miros launched its crash test laboratory when it hosted the largest ever gathering of NCAPs at the Global NCAP Annual Meeting in May 2012. ASEAN NCAP carried out frontal offset crash tests at 64 km/h assessing results for driver, passenger and child safety.
YOUTUBE
