Latest EuroNCAP results released – Audi A6, BMW X3, VW Jetta among tested

Results of the latest round of the European New Car Assessment Programme (EuroNCAP) safety evaluations have just been released, and out of ten cars tested, only the Kia Picanto failed to garner a full five-star rating, having to make do with four.

The Picanto’s downfall is mainly attributed to the fact that electronic stability programme (ESP) is not part of its standard equipment. Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP Secretary General, says, “Proven safety benefits of ESC resulted in new legislation requiring the technology to be fitted as standard on all new models in Europe as of next year.”

Kia Picanto

The latest revisions to EuroNCAP’s test criteria place increasing importance in the presence of electronic safety devices. For example, the Citroen DS5’s results were greatly helped by having Citroën Localized Emergency Call system, whilst the BMW X3 had Advanced eCall, a system that is able to automatically notify emergency services in the event of an accident.

Among the line up of tested vehicles is GM’s electric car, the Opel Ampera, which scored maximum points from the side pole test. Also from the GM stable, the Chevrolet Aveo and Orlando excelled in whiplash and adult protection, a notable improvement from 2005 where the previous generation Aveo fared badly with just two stars in the aspect of adult protection.

Opel Ampera

The Hyundai i40, Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet and Volkswagen Jetta excelled in the area of child protection. Michiel van Ratingen said, “Euro NCAP evaluates child safety for each model tested and encourages car manufacturers to provide equally good protection for adults and children. We consider child protection as a very important part of the overall star rating and have plans to step up our requirements even more in the coming years.”

The transparent nature of EuroNCAP’s crash testing criteria allow car makers to design vehicles to meet those stringent standards, but nobody should be patting their own backs yet, as things will only get tougher. For example, the Opel Ampera, Audi A6 and Citroën DS5 will not get five stars for pedestrian protection based on 2012 standards, although they just got through for 2011.

Audi A6

Full results of the latest EuroNCAP crash tests can be found at the EuroNCAP official website.

KON

Pictures: Official manufacturer’s release and AW file pictures.

See also:
– Mark VI Golf stars in Euro NCAP 2009