ANCAP targets MG5 and Mahindra Scorpio

Two of the cheapest vehicles on sale in Australia, the MG5 small hatch and Mahindra Scorpio off-road SUV, have been targeted by ANCAP for safety testing because of their reduced level of active safety equipment.

ANCAP has purchased up to six examples of each vehicle to crash test and assess safety systems against its 2023 protocols.

No vehicles have been supplied by the manufacturers. Often they are supplied when the maximum five-star result is anticipated, along with the marketing benefits that flow from it.

ANCAP’s ever-increasing equipment standards required to achieve five stars and its impact on vehicle affordability has been a sore point for some brands for years.

The results from these two tests are expected to be published before the end of 2023.

Launched in April, the Indian-built Scorpio is the most affordable large ladder-frame diesel SUV on the Australian market and is priced from $45,990 driveaway.

But it comes without autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, adaptive cruise control and a centre-front airbag.

Launched in June, the Chinese-built MG5 is the lowest priced sedan left on the Australian market, starting at $24,990 driveaway for the Vibe.

While it includes AEB, it misses out on lane keeping or centring, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, adaptive cruise control and a centre airbag.

These omissions from both vehicles guarantee their exclusion from consideration for five stars. The lowest possible rating is zero stars, as the Mitsubishi Express recorded in 2021.

While refusing to comment on specific vehicle safety tests or results, ANCAP CEO Carla Hoorweg highlighted concerns about some new model safety content.

“ANCAP has observed a small number of new models entering the market with a safety specification lower than that currently expected by Australian consumers, and these models are a focus for ANCAP,” she said in an emailed statement.

“It is ANCAP’s role to encourage the highest levels of safety.

“Pleasingly, the vast majority of vehicle brands continue to offer their customers high and improving levels of safety as new models and facelifts are introduced.

“Unfortunately the number of lives lost on Australia’s roads continues to grow, with the most recent figures showing a 19.6 per cent increase in the number of road fatalities compared with the average over the previous five years.

“It is important that vehicle manufacturers continue to prioritise the safety of their customers.”

Neither MG or Mahindra were willing to comment on ANCAP’s decision to test their vehicles.

However, MG Motor Australia CEO Peter Ciao defended the safety of the MG5 earlier this year during a motoring media roundtable when asked what his reaction would be to a three-star ANCAP rating.

“If it happened I would have to accept… but each model rating this is a business decision,” he said.

“When we develop each model we make a choice: how much? We can provide any model with the five-star but that means money.”

MG Motor Australia product manager Kevin Khou added: “The MG5 does come with AEB and it does come with six airbags. The higher trim comes with a 360-degree camera and the lower trim comes with a reversing camera.

“It is a well-constructed car, however, there are limitations on the amount of ADAS we can put into a car because it all costs money.

“We need to provide affordability for Australians and this is the deciding business factor.”

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