LDV G10 slapped with three-star ANCAP crash rating

Australia’s chief crash safety body has expressed “serious concerns” over the safety credentials of the LDV G10, awarding the Chinese-built van a three-star crash safety rating.

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) went a step further on Thursday and said the commercial van segment is not doing enough to protect occupants generally.

In a scathing assessment, ANCAP chief executive James Goodwin said commercial buyers and families have been “let down” by a below-par level of structural and safety specification in the G10.

“This is a disappointing result for LDV and consumers with commercial buyers and families being let down in an important segment,” Goodwin said.

“There were a number of serious concerns with the G10’s structural performance with the driver footwell rupturing and excessive pedal movement. Steering column and dash components were also a potential source of knee injury for the driver and passenger.”

The three-star rating applies to all G10 petrol and diesel van and people mover variants sold in Australia and New Zealand from mid-2015. It follows a two-star rating for the larger LDV V80 van.

ANCAP awarded the G10 a score of 24.49 out of 37, including a score of 9.37 out of 16 in the front offset test.

“The G10 lacks important safety features such as head- and chest-protecting side airbags and seatbelt pre-tensioners which consumers today expect to be provided as standard – particularly in a vehicle which can carry up to nine passengers,” Goodwin said.

“The safety standards of passenger and commercial vans remains well below those offered in other segments with 67 per cent of vans rated by ANCAP holding a rating of four stars or less so we urge all brands to ensure an emphasis on safety carries across all market segments,” he added.

Oddly, while slamming the G10 for the absence of important safety features, the official crash report awards the G10 a perfect 16 out of 16 points in the side impact test because “experience shows that large vehicles like the LDV G10 can be expected to perform well in this test. ANCAP has adopted a policy of awarding these types of vehicles a default score of 16 points”.

The safety score comes as LDV continues to ready the T60 dual-cab ute and D90 SUV for the Australian market.

The T60 was recently at the centre of another safety scandal after being falsely advertised with a five-star ANCAP rating - despite not yet being tested.