ANCAP celebrates 30 years by crash-testing 1993 Mitsubishi Magna
Vehicle safety has come a long way over the past 30 years, as ANCAP proves with old car in modern-day crash-testThe Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has marked its 30th anniversary by crash-testing a 30-year-old Mitsubishi Magna.
The test was conducted by the independent safety authority last week at the Crashlab facility in western Sydney, where a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) was also signed for continued co-operation between ANCAP and safety testing partner Euro NCAP.
The same day ANCAP also outlined future plans including testing of full-size pick-ups, while Euro NCAP criticised “rotten apple” car brands for poor driver assist system calibration.
Established in 1992 as NCAP, ANCAP has since published safety ratings for more than 1000 vehicles, including 130 results adapted from Euro NCAP tests since 2018 when protocols between the two bodies were aligned.
Funded by a group of motoring associations and government agencies across Australia and New Zealand with the objective of more rapidly advancing road safety, ANCAP has steadily upped and expanded its testing criteria through the years.
The maximum five-star ANCAP rating has become a valuable marketing tool for auto brands, although not all are happy about it and some choose not to ignore it.
Back in 1993, NCAP didn’t award star ratings; instead, protection offered to front seat occupants was measured based on a single full-width 56km/h frontal crash test with a colour-coded red-amber-green system indicating injury risk.
The first test in 1993 comprised nine cars – the Ford Falcon, Mitsubishi Magna, Holden Commodore, Honda Accord, Mazda 626, Nissan Pintara, Subaru Liberty, Toyota Camry and Volvo 940.
Only the Volvo came fitted with a driver airbag and it was unsurprisingly the best performer in the test.
Last week, the randomly selected Magna TR was subjected to a modern-day ANCAP 50km/h frontal offset instrumented test, which meant a 100km/h closing speed between the car and a moving barrier.
Mitsubishi Motors Australia president and CEO Shaun Westcott was among the dignitaries watching on.
A Hybrid III male dummy was placed behind the wheel and a Hybrid III female dummy in the left-rear passenger seat. Outboard lap-sash seat belts and a centre-rear lap belt were the only safety features. There were no airbags.
Measurements indicated a high risk of skull fracture and brain injuries for the driver because of hard contact with the steering wheel. Maximum acceleration of the dummy’s head was 107g, about double what’s seen in a modern five-star car.
High injury measurements were also recorded for the driver’s upper and lower legs and pelvis.
For the rear passenger there was high loading of the chest from the seat belt. ‘Submarining’ was also observed, with the lap portion of the belt slipping off the pelvis and into the abdomen.
Overall, the results were indicative of a very high risk of serious or fatal injuries, ANCAP reported.
But ANCAP made it clear the results were representative of vehicles of the era, rather than being an indictment of the Magna specifically.
“We’ve seen vehicle safety advance in leaps and bounds over the past 30 years as a result of ANCAP’s persistence and ability to influence consumer-driven change,” said ANCAP chief executive Carla Hoorweg.
“Our founders were originally met with strong resistance from vehicle manufacturers, yet today they’re the ones bringing forward new and innovative ways to prevent road crashes.
“Back then, the cars we drove were just regular cars. We didn’t think twice about what safety they offered, or didn’t offer.
“Today, the Australian consumer is well-informed and empowered with the tools to make safer vehicle choices, and the age of your vehicle can make all the difference.”
For his part, Westcott was bemused about the Magna being the ‘victim’, but impressed with how the structure stood up to the impact.
“How they arrived at our car I have no idea, but I do accept they had to crash somebody’s car,” said Westcott.
“Having not seen the results yet I was really pleased with the outcome.”
Related: “Rotten apple” car brands blamed for poor lane keeping systems
Related: ANCAP negotiates crash tests for US pick-up trucks
Related: ANCAP targets MG5 and Mahindra Scorpio
Related: Hyundai may abandon ANCAP
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