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Joshua Dowling27 Apr 2010
NEWS

ANCAP delivers identical results, but gets different reactions

China's Great Wall Motors is elated, Toyota slams ratings as too simplistic

As predicted by the Carsales Network a fortnight ago, a furore has erupted over the latest round of crash tests by the independent authority ANCAP.


The crash test body -- which is a consumer guide, not a regulator -- confirmed overnight it has awarded four stars out of five to the Chinese-made Great Wall Motors X240 4WD, and given the same rating to the Toyota Camry hybrid, which has more standard safety features than the other vehicle.


The Great Wall Motors X240 has two airbags and anti-lock brakes.


The Toyota Camry has six airbags (including head-protecting curtain airbags that protect occupants in a side-on crash) and stability control (a more advanced version of anti-lock brakes that can prevent a vehicle from skidding out of control in a corner).


The Camry is better at protecting occupants from injuries in a wider variety of conditions but, under current ANCAP guidelines, these extra features did not earn the Camry any bonus points.


The statement from both companies couldn't have been more diametrically opposed.


Great Wall Motors was upbeat, given that the last two of its vehicles to be tested -- a pair of utilities -- scored a "poor" two-star rating from ANCAP.
"The Great Wall Motor Company has welcomed the four star crash test result for its X240," the statement beamed.


"This is the sort of result we were sure Great Wall would achieve soon after their entry to the Australian market. We are encouraged both by this result and by the fact that Great Wall are already working on further improvements."


Meanwhile, Toyota's statement was more blunt. It said in part: "Toyota Australia rejects as a distortion any suggestion that Camry models provide a level of safety that is the same as cars that do not offer such vital life-saving technology or have fewer than Camry's standard six airbags.


"ANCAP does not test the life-saving benefits of features such as vehicle stability control, traction control and anti-skid brakes -- all of which are standard on every Camry."


When contacted for a comment in our original story a fortnight ago, ANCAP chairman Lauchlan McIntosh told the Carsales Network: "Our tests are our tests. It's like a four star rating for hotels even though the hotels can be different. The ANCAP star rating is about an occupant protection result in a crash. The number of airbags is not necessarily what the test is about. It's the structure of the car that's the main factor in crash protection."


But in a hint of a backflip he later added: "We're not saying the star rating is the only thing to look for. It's a good comparator, but consumers should also look closely at the safety features of the car and what suits their needs."


Highlighting the anomalies of ANCAP testing, the Korean-made Holden Barina earned four stars after it became equipped with four airbags (instead of two) in November 2008. But anti-lock brakes, a basic safety feature, are not even standard.


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Written byJoshua Dowling
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