2017 VOLKSWAGEN POLO
Crash safety body ANCAP has bemoaned the poor safety standards of cheap commercial vehicles, after local testing of the Chinese LDV V80 commercial van returned an overall two- out of five-star safety rating.
In a frontal offset crash conducted at 64km/h, the LDV V80 scored just 4.97 points out of a possible 16 points. Its overall score was just 16.46 out of 37.
While dual front airbags, ABS, EBD and brake assist are standard on the V80, side and curtain airbags are unavailable and stability control likely won't be available until later this year.
"More has to be done to encourage manufacturers to increase the level of safety provided in LCVs," said ANCAP CEO Nicholas Clarke.
"Even newly released commercial vehicles are providing safety features as optional extras. The question is: Why?"
"The safety of those travelling in commercial vehicles is no less important than those travelling in passenger cars."
While commercial vehicles can be sold without stability control (it has been mandatory for all passenger cars sold post-2013), ANCAP's testing criteria limits a non-stability-control-equipped car to a maximum two-star rating.
The LDV V80 joins the Great Wall V240 on ANCAP's wall of shame as the only other commercial vehicle with a two-star safety rating. The Chery J11 compact SUV is the only passenger car to receive a similar rating.
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