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NEWS
Nissan "disappointed" by ANCAP attack
"Timing not ideal" as Qashqai launched and ANCAP launches broadsideNissan Australia managing director Richard Emery has expressed his disappointment, sadness and annoyance at ANCAP's decision to publicly chastise it for the lack of availability of Autonomous Emergency Braking in its new Qashqai cross-over wagon, which is being launched this week.
While wary of triggering a public brawl of the type that Renault Australia has engaged in with the independent crash test body, Emery made it clear he was not happy about the language in ANCAP's press statement about the issue, the timing of it and the lack of consultation before it was released.
"Am I disappointed that it has come out the way it has and ANCAP has termed it the way they have? Yes," Emery told motoring.com.au.
"Timing is not ideal."
The Qashqai, which is the second generation Dualis now employing its European name, has been launched in four five-seat, front-wheel drive model variants. Pricing and specification were announced last month.
ANCAP, the Australasian New Car Assessment Program, issued a statement under embargo to Australian motoring media last Friday advising the Qashqai and the latest Mercedes-Benz C-class had achieved maximum five star ratings and the SsangYong Stavic people-mover four stars.
The statement, which motoring.com.au reported here, also included criticism of Nissan because unlike Europe where the car is built, AEB is not available in the Australian specification.
ANCAP is currently involved in a promotion of the advantages of AEB – which brakes the car independently of the driver when it detects a potential frontal collision – via a high profile advertising program.
Nissan provided a short statement in response to the ANCAP criticism, attributed to its corporate communications general manager Peter Fadeyev, explaining AEB was requested for Australia but was not available.
And that is one of the key points Emery was keen to emphasise.
"The car is not available outside Europe with emergency braking so that is not a decision we made," he told motoring.com.au. "I think it was suggested in the way it [the press release] was written that it was a decision made locally and that is not the case.
"Just like them we would like to have it available on the car and our other cars as well."
However, Emery avoided launching an all-out attack on ANCAP, saying he understood the organisation's strategy.
"They are not worried about my commercial interests, they are worried about their key message at the moment which is about emergency braking.
"We both come at the issue from two completely different directions. I find it a little bit sad they haven't been able to congratulate the car on its score. It's an inherently safe car based on the results and that's been lost based on one feature."
Nissan's counter-claim to ANCAP is to point out that no vehicle in the segment comes fitted with AEB and that the very high 36.56 points out of a possible 37 points the Qashqai achieved in the crash test program would be overshadowed.
It is also claiming a class-leading level of safety equipment for the Qashqai including an Around View Monitor, Moving Object Detection, Driver Attention Support and Lane Departure and Blind Spot Warning.
"We are a little bit annoyed that it [ANCAP's criticism] has taken away from the inherent safety features the car does come with," Emery said. "It scored a very high number in ANCAP and scored five stars. We think it is the benchmark in the segment for its safety technology.
"So a little bit annoyed because they are on a bit of an emergency braking message at the moment that their timing is such they have chosen to pick on us a little bit, when they could pick on another 100 cars that don't have it.
"And certainly if they had spoken to us we would have been able to tell then it wasn't a decision that we made."
Look out for our first drive review of the new Qashqai this Friday.
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Written byBruce Newton
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