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Feann Torr17 Jul 2014
NEWS

Daimler's smart car not safe enough for US

Head of smart would be "happy with four star" NCAP safety rating for all-new model

Bigger cars are inherently safer than smaller ones, right? Not according to smart. The tiny 2.69-metre smart fortwo is being spruiked as one of the safest micro-cars ever built, and was smashed into an S-Class limo to prove the point.

A possible starter in Australia later in 2015, the third-generation smart fortwo has undergone a rigorous crash test regime, tested to the same extremes as the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class, says the company.

But despite the car being safer than its predecessor thanks to the use of stronger, more resilient and heavier metals in its passenger safety cell, the iconic two-seat fortwo model may not achieve a now-commonplace five-star NCAP safety rating.

At the car's world premiere in Berlin, motoring.com.au asked the head of Daimler's smart car division Annette Winkler whether it would attain a five-star NCAP safety rating.

"Normally, no," she responded.

"The maximum you can achieve in this segment is four stars. I would be happy with four stars but I can't confirm anything here."

The Euro NCAP crash testing authority has recently changed its rating methodology, making it more difficult for car-makers to regularly score five stars. The new Renault Megane scored only three stars in its latest Euro NCAP test.

The German micro-car maker says it crash tested up to four times more smart cars than is normally required, in an attempt to verify the safety of one of the smallest and lightest cars on the road.

"This car is safer than previously. I think the 50km/h crash test with the S-Class makes quite a statement," added Winkler.

Weighing 2308kg, the Mercedes S-Class is a big unit and, in a 50km/h offset crash with the 1124kg smart fortwo, the latter car's occupant space appeared to be intact, ensuring passengers have "excellent chances of survival", says Daimler.

All smart fortwos and forfours come with five airbags as standard (front and front-side airbags for both passengers, along with a knee airbag for the driver) but in Australia the five-door, four-seat smart forfour model will be unlikely to attain a five-star ANCAP safety due to a lack of airbags for rear-seat passengers.

Deepening the smart forfour's safety quagmire, the new model is also unlikely to be sold in the USA, a market that accounts for around 10 per cent of annual smart car sales, because smart has not yet decided to homologate the vehicle for that market.

The precise reason for this is not clear, but Winkler told US industry website Automotive News in January it would be too expensive to do so.

"There are other regulations to comply with, and to achieve what is needed here costs extra money," she explained. The regulations she talks of are understood to be related to safety requirements.

Despite its stubby size the smart is a safe car, says Rodolfo Schöneburg, Head of Vehicle Safety at Mercedes-Benz Cars, describing the crash result with the S-Class as 'good'.

"The well-proven tridion cell forms the basis for the high crash safety of the new smart. It ensures efficient energy absorption in a frontal impact. To this end, the crumple zones of the new smart have been made as large as possible," he said.

"The high proportion of ultra-high-strength steels ensures high stability for the passenger cell. In addition, the further developed airbags and seat belts offer maximum occupant protection, for example with a knee airbag for the driver as a standard feature," said Schöneburg.

Other safety systems in the new smart include Crosswind Assist, which is standard on all models and reduces the car's instability in heavy wind gusts, such as when a large truck overtakes. Smart says Crosswind Assist was added partly due to customer feedback of the car's stability.

There are also forward collision warning and lane keeping assistant systems, both optional on European smarts.

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