5 August 2016, Tianjin, China. To celebrate the tenth year anniversary of the establishment of China New Car Assessment Programme (C-NCAP), Geely Auto (Geely) put forth its most recent model, the Geely Emgrand GL to undergo China’s first 90-degree direct impact crash test at the China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC) in Tianjin.
CATARC have been at the forefront of Chinese automotive safety research, with the center advising government and private bodies on the development of safety within the Chinese auto industry and is also responsible for the C-NCAP program which has tested hundreds of cars over the past decade.
The China In-Depth Accident Study (CIDAS), an independent group that studies domestic and foreign car accidents refers to 90-degree direct impact accidents as the ‘devils crash’ due to the general severity of the injuries suffered by the occupants of the vehicle that is struck. Auto makers generally focus their attention to the development of safe crumple zones to the front and the rear of vehicles which absorb the energy created in the event of a vehicle, Geely has now moved to the leading edge of the automotive safety industry with a proven 90-degree crash test.
Two Geely Emgrand GL vehicles were provided for test, with the vehicles striking each other at a 90 degree angle. The striking vehicle travelled at 50km/h whilst the vehicle that was struck was travelling at 17km/h, simulating a common urban crash test.
The Emgrand GL which was struck received limited structural change to its body, the energy from the crash was absorbed into the body and away from the occupants, two of the four doors on the non-struck side worked as normal whilst all the airbags were activated upon impact.
The striking Emgrand GL received limited change to its overall body structure, the front bumper and bonnet absorbed the crash as intended, all airbags activated on impact and all four doors worked as intended.
James Goodwin, the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian NCAP program attended the Emgrand GL crash test and commented: “From this head on collision test with the Geely Emgrand GL, we can see that the whole Chinese automotive industry has undergone a huge leap in terms of quality and safety. At the same time, I can see that Geely Auto is already at the level on which international brands operate in terms of sales, marketing and of course safety.”
The Emgrand GL launches in the fourth quarter of 2016.