‘Kona results disappointing’
Euro NCAP has once again subjected a series of new models to its safety tests. It has destroyed no fewer than eleven young models professionally. The result: a huge shower of stars in which the safety institute awarded 52 stars. Anyone who can do quick calculations will immediately know that not every newcomer returned home with the maximum possible score of 5 stars.
Euro NCAP ends 2023 with a big bang. An elevenfold hit, to be precise. In the latest series of results from its extensive safety tests, the European branch of Global NCAP crashed eleven mainly very young car models. Of the 11 models that had to endure it several times, eight returned home with the maximum possible score of five stars.
The Volkswagen ID7, the new BMW 5-series, the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV, the BYD Tang and Seal U, the Kia EV9, the Xpeng G9 and the Smart #3 all have 5 NCAP stars behind their names. The Honda ZR-V (the lightest of the team), the Hyundai Kona and the Vietnamese Vinfast VF8 were rated with four stars. Euro NCAP calls the result of the Hyundai Kona disappointing. It would have made little difference if the Kona received a three-star rating.
Euro NCAP is concerned about the increasing vehicle weight of modern cars. Of the 11 newcomers tested, only three cars weighed less than 2 tonnes. “For years, Euro NCAP was seen as a driver of the increasing weight of new cars. It was said that the new safety systems required for high scores made cars much heavier. That has never been the case. The weight increase we are now seeing has absolutely nothing to do with safety systems or requirements,” said Michiel van Ratingen, Secretary General of Euro NCAP in an accompanying letter. “This weight increase can be entirely attributed to consumer preference for large electric cars and electrification. Manufacturers are giving EVs large battery packs to range anxiety hope to take away.” According to Van Ratingen, heavy new cars pose great dangers to small or lighter cars if they collide with each other.
For fascinating video footage of crumpling sheet metal and flapping bags, watch the video below in which a Volkswagen ID7 takes the brunt:
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl