Chinese-made cars with unfamiliar names still struggle with the image of dangerous folding boxes that fail in crash tests. The current EuroNCAP test by the ÖAMTC, in which two of the nine candidates come from the Middle Kingdom: Ora Funky Cat and Wey Coffee 01, shows that these times are over. Both earned a full five stars.
Both come from the Chinese “Great Wall Motors” group and are expected to be available in Europe from autumn 2022. Their result: five stars and very good values in all test criteria. Aside from the newcomers from China, the Genesis GV60 and Tesla Model Y achieved the highest rating this time. “For the Kia Niro that was also tested, this only applies if you add the optional safety pack; the standard version is enough for four stars,” says Max Lang, the club’s driving safety expert. There are also four stars for the im Essentially identical Citroen e-Berlingo, Opel Combo-e Life and Peugeot e-Rifter (the Rifter with a combustion engine was tested in 2018) as well as the Hyundai i20, which corresponds to the Hyundai Bayon tested in 2021. Adult safety: All candidates achieved excellent values around the age of 90 percent – only the Hyundai i20 falls significantly short here with 76 percent and an increased risk of injury in the event of a side impact (for the same reason, the Hyundai Bayon, which is identical in construction, was at the bottom of the crash test in October 2021). 80 percent achieved. This time, the best in this criterion came from Genesis, Tesla and Wey (each 87 percent), the weakest was the Hyundai i20 (82 percent). “His problem: In the case of a side impact, a greatly increased risk of injury in the chest area was measured in the dummy, which represents a ten-year-old child seated on a booster seat,” reports Lang Assistance systems play an important role. In terms of construction, most models have been stagnating for some time – so it’s usually still the hard A-pillars and often parts of the hood and windshield that cause serious injuries to pedestrians and cyclists in a collision,” says the expert. “However, automatic emergency brake assistants that recognize these road users can help to avoid accidents.” There is also little to complain about here – problems occur most frequently when the system does not recognize a pedestrian when reversing or turning right. Safety assistants: in the current test the Tesla sets the standards in this criterion with a value of 98 percent, but the Chinese models are also very well equipped with assistants with 93 (Ora Funky Cat) and 94 percent (Wey Coffee 01). The ÖAMTC considers Kia’s approach to be less successful: the standard version has a camera-based emergency brake assistant, which works. But you are better off with the Safety Pack, which adds radar to the system – and thus a clear safety plus. However, this costs extra and makes security a question of price.
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