The Chinese automotive industry is making its way into the international market by leaps and bounds. The main brands have experienced significant sales growth in recent years thanks to their excellent relationship between price and quality. There is no doubt that brands such as BYD, Geely or Lynk
Spain is no stranger to the surprise carried out by the main Chinese automobile companies with respect to their other Asian competitors -Japan and South Korea-, by turning a car from the most populated country in the world into a sales leader. The MG ZS was the best-selling passenger car in our country in the months of August and September, an unprecedented fact that highlights the growing influence of Chinese car manufacturers in the global market.
If one of the biggest misgivings that 'made in China' cars aroused years ago was safety, today it can be said that it is an obstacle overcome in the past. Since 2011, when the MG6 and the Geely Emgrand EC7 obtained 4 stars out of a maximum of 5 in the Euro NCAP, the majority of Chinese cars obtain excellent results in this safety ranking that is a benchmark at the European level.
EuroNCAP has just published the results of its latest evaluations and once again three Chinese-made models have obtained the highest score. The cars examined by the independent European consortium are the Xpeng P7 and two models from the BYD ('Build your Dreams') firm, the BYD Seal and the BYD Dolphin.
The three cars, quite different from each other, have achieved full stars - five - in the impact protection tests, as well as in the tests on the different accident prevention systems. “The new Chinese brands have hit the ground running, recognizing that European car buyers will not compromise on safety,” says Michiel van Ratingen, secretary general of EuroNCAP.
The new EuroNCAP protocol includes additional tests, such as the operation of the car and some on-board systems after immersion in water, which had previously been adopted by ANCAP, the body that assesses vehicle safety in Australia.
The three cars analyzed far passed the immersion tests (opening doors and windows), although in the case of the BYD Dollphin it was not possible to verify how long the electric windows remain functional.
Regarding child detection systems, another of the novelties that EuroNCAP introduces in the tests, only the Xpeng P7 lacks this important safety component.
