Photo: Global NCAP
Photo: Global NCAP
One of the world’s leading road safety authorities has expressed its shock at the state of some vehicles currently being sold in South Africa. Crash tests carried out on three popular market models revealed glaring inadequacies when it came to protecting occupants – and one bakkie even ended up recording a ‘zero-star’ performance.
The three cars that were tested as part of the #SaferCarsForAfrica initiative were the Steed 5 bakkie from Great Wall, the Haval H1 five-door SUV, and the Kwid five-door compact from Renault. While some fared better than others, Global NCAP remains horrified with the results – singling out the Steed 5 for its horrendous display.
“The three models tested – all gave serious cause for concern with poor levels of adult and child protection. Alarmingly the zero-star rated Great Wall Steed 5 demonstrated a high probability of life-threatening injury. The potential for life-threatening injury in the Steed 5 follows the zero-star performance of the Nissan Hardbody pick-up in 2018.
“This is the second #SaferCarsforAfrica zero-star rating in the ‘Bakkie’ category with the high probability of life-threatening injury – and it should be ringing alarm bells for any consumer considering the purchase of a Steed 5 pick up. It is a worrying set of results for the safety of both adult and child occupants.”
Global NCAP statement
Where do we even begin? In the crash test autopsy, Global NCAP found a myriad of issues with the Steed 5 bakkie. It’s threat to the life of children has proved to be one of the most alarming shortcomings, however…
The AA has since added their discerning reaction, demanding that safety standards are treated with more respect from manufacturers in the future. Willem Groenewald, the group’s CEO, feels like he’s repeating points already made years ago:
“Since the #SaferCarsforAfrica programme’s first results were launched in 2017 we’ve been calling for an improvement in the safety standards set by the government. These results again confirm the urgent need for this to happen.”
“We simply cannot have unsafe cars on our roads anymore. We’ve spoken to the National Regulator for Compulsory Standards about standards and although the evidence is clear, we are eager to see movement in this regard. Action is needed, and needed now because it’s about protecting South African citizens.”
William Groenewald
Latest #SaferCarsForAfrica crash test results give cause for serious concern. Alarmingly the zero rated #GreatWall #Steed 5 demonstrated a high probability of life threatening injury. Read the full story here: https://t.co/p8OroRfcDT #NoZeroStarCars #50by30 pic.twitter.com/zFyoaDNJ35
— GlobalNCAP (@GlobalNCAP) December 3, 2020