ASEAN NCAP – Phase III results expected in Mar 2014
The ASEAN New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) continues its honourable mission to raise awareness on motor vehicle safety in the region with the third phase of its crash testing programme scheduled for completion by March 2014.
The Secretary-General of ASEAN NCAP, Mr. Khairil Anwar Abu Kassim mentioned that the third phase will cover a total of eleven vehicle models, with two made available in their lowest and highest grades, adding up to thirteen sets of results for analysis.
Sign of the programme’s growing stature, vehicles tested in Phase III include pick-up trucks, a left-hand drive (LHD) car for the first time, and vehicles manufactured in India, China, and France. Previously, the Toyota Prius and Subaru XV were the only vehicles tested in Phases I & II that were not manufactured or assembled in ASEAN; in both instances, ASEAN NCAP tested Japan CBU versions of the Prius and XV.
Official announcement of the results were scheduled to take place at an ASEAN NCAP Open Day to be held in Bangkok on March 2014, but that proposal has been suspended in light of the current political unrest in the country. A final decision on whether to proceed as planned or switch the announcement venue to Malaysia will be made by mid-February after consultation between the ASEAN NCAP Secretariat and its Thai partners.
“We highly respect the spirit of our Thailand partners and our recent meeting in Bangkok (6th OEM Meeting) is a great sign that ASEAN NCAP will be well-received in Thailand. But at the same time, we do care about safety and mobility due to the current political situation in Bangkok, and Thailand as a whole,” Khairil said.
Meanwhile, ASEAN NCAP’s home base at the MIROS PC3 crash lab in Malacca was recently visited by Mr. Alejandro Furas (Alex), the Global NCAP’s Technical Director and CEO (designate) of Latin NCAP (NCAP for South America). His two-day visit (27-28 January 2014) was mostly spent on technical discussions including “aligning” the interpretation of crash test protocols, “live inspection” for two cars by crash test inspectors from both ASEAN NCAP and Latin NCAP, and drafting the “Emerging Market Roadmap” for 2017.
Picture: ASEAN NCAP release.
