Landwind a Category 3

China's fledgling car industry has struck its first hurdle in Europe, with the Jiangling (JMC) Landmark scoring the first-ever zero crash safety rating.

In horrific crash-test footage doing the rounds of the internet, the Landmark can be seen destroying itself around a test dummy driver in offset frontal crash testing by the German automobile club's ADAC. The testing was done before the Landmark undergoes official Euro NCAP crash tests.

Side impact results from the ADAC tests are said to be even worse that those from the offset crash tests. Which is saying something.

The two-tonne 4WD Landmark is the first Chinese car to go on sale in Europe. It was officially unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show two weeks ago and already is on sale in Holland, Germany and Belgium. It is expected in British showrooms before the end of the year.

An ADAC spokesman has been quoted as describing the Landmark's crash test results as "catastrophic". The spokesman also said that the Landmark was the worst crash-test performance in the organisation's 20-year history.

In its Frankfurt press kit, Landwind's Belgian-based European importer, LWMC says all three engine variants in the range - 2.0-litre and 2.4-litre Mitsubishi petrol, and 2.8-litre Isuzu diesel - meet "... all German TUV and EU requirements including Euro 3 emissions regulations".

The styling is said to be "contemporary" and "smart". Clearly, it borrows heavily from the late-90s Holden/Isuzu Frontera.

The 2.0-litre Landwind is two-wheel-drive only, while the 2.4-litre petrol and 2.8-litre diesel versions can be had in two-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive form.

On the face of it, the vehicles are well equipped. Leather trim, 16-inch alloy wheels, CD-radio, park distance control, electric windows and mirrors, and automatic air-conditioning are all standard. Oh, and a driver's airbag, with a dash-mounted passenger-side 'bag optional.

At Frankfurt, the pricetag on the entry-level Landwind was 14,995 euros ($A23,799). The British price is expected to be around 10,000 pounds ($A23,305) - about 5,000 pounds ($A11,652) cheaper than the likes of Hyundai's Tucson and Kia's Sportage.

LWMC says in its Frankfurt show press material that Netherlands Landwind sales started in August, and the first consignment of 2.0-litre vehicles had already sold out. More vehicles are due in November and December, and LWMC expects to sell about 500 Landwinds in its first year in Europe.

The JMC Landwind is built at Nangang, in China's Jiangxi province. The Jiangling Motors Co. Group was established in 1968 and has been busy building mainly light commercial vehicles ever since. In 2004 it sold 74,715 vehicles in China, including the JMC light duty truck, JMC Pick Up, Landwind and Ford Transit vans, built as part of JMC's joint venture partnership with Ford Motor Company.

Jiangling JMC is said to be one of China's most recognised domestic trademarks.

All of which is well and good. But the big question is: If the Landwind also gets a zero-star crash rating in its official Euro NCAP results, why is it even on sale in Europe? Let alone, likely to sell up a storm.