Brilliance dull in crash test
'Mid-range' Brilliance sedan scores low in safety testChinese automaker Brilliance Jinbei is under the spotlight after its BS6 sedan performed badly in independent safety tests in Europe last week.
Germany's largest auto association ADAC and Dutch group ANWB ordered the crash testing of the BS6 'mid-range saloon', released to bargain shoppers in Europe earlier this year (more here).
The front-wheel drive sedan uses Mitsubishi-sourced four-cylinder engines and comes with a modicum of upmarket fit such as artificial woodtrim and large chrome grille to appease aspiring mid-size buyers. Think Hyundai Sonata, and if you can, the Chinese-built Rover 75 called the Roewe 750, from Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp (SAIC).
The auto groups expected the BS6 to manage at least two stars but poor performance in frontal and side impact testing led its one-star rating. ADAC said a side-impact crash would likely be fatal.
"In the event of a side crash, the strain on the driver's chest and abdominal area would be so high that a person would have little chance of surviving in a real accident," ADAC says.
The EuroNCAP awards BS6's class competitors Hyundai Sonata, Kia Magentis and Skoda Superb with four stars.
The BS6 is offered for less than 20,000 euros but comes with only two airbags and lacks driver aids such as stability and traction control, even as options.
Importer for the brand in Europe, HSO Motors admits the poor safety rating does little to help the fledgling manufacturer which has close links with Toyota and BMW, and is China's first auto brand in Europe. Brilliance also wants to release the BS6 in the US market this year.
Hans-Ulrich Sachs, spokesperson for HSO said the company would make efforts to improve passive safety features and was ready if the end-customer chose "to trade in his BS6".
The Brilliance BS6 is the second Chinese passenger car to fail ADAC's crash testing, following the 'Landwind' SUV from Jiangling Motors Corporation 18 months ago.
Concerns over quality increasingly affect Chinese automakers. SAIC claims delay of the Roewe 750 for European markets, originally scheduled for release later this year, will ensure the model meets export safety standards.
"We want to concentrate on brand building in high level [domestic] markets first, then think about export two or three years later," said Hu Maoyuan, chairman of SAIC Motor.
Watch ADAC's crash test of the Brilliance BS6 here
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