People-movers falling behind on safety, says ANCAP
ANCAP chief takes aim at seven- and eight-seat passenger vansOne of the vehicle segments synonymous with commuting children is making do with outdated technology, says the country’s leading crash safety authority.
Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) chief executive James Goodwin believes the people-mover segment is in need of an urgent shake up in Australia.
While people-movers are designed for doing just that, Goodwin said that many of the segment’s most popular offerings were becoming long in the tooth due to longer product lifecycles than traditional passenger cars.
In Australia, the people-mover segment comprises dedicated offerings like the Citroen C4 Grand Picasso, Honda Odyssey and Kia Carnival.
There are also van-based contenders like the Hyundai iMAX, LDV G10, Mercedes-Benz V-Class and Valente, Toyota Granvia and the Volkswagen Caddy, Caravelle and Multivan.
“I think passenger vans are certainly getting a bit old. It’s not that they’re unsafe but this is a segment that doesn’t have a lot of competition,” Goodwin told carsales.
“This is a segment where safety is probably more vital than in other segments. It is almost entirely for the carrying of children. A large family is going to need these vehicles and they are falling behind.
“It’s not that they’re unsafe, it’s just that they’re getting a bit old because they have longer production timeframes and so on. That’s a segment that needs to step up and hopefully we’ll see that with the next generation of those vehicles.”
Of the current people-mover crop, Toyota’s new HiAce-based Granvia has made the biggest safety statement in 2019, launching in Australia with nine airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, high-speed active cruise control, lane departure alert, road sign assist, auto high-beam, blind-spot monitoring, a reversing camera, rear cross-traffic alert and front/rear parking sensors.
Goodwin highlighted the progress in the commercial van segment with new offerings including the Ford Transit, Peugeot Expert and Toyota HiAce.
“What has been done with the commercial-oriented HiAce version highlights what can be done in the passenger versions of the vans as well,” he said.
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