- A + A print
Home > Motoring > Motoring News > 2011 News >  

ANCAP and ATECO war of words over Chery J1 recall


ANCAP and ATECO war of words over Chery J1 recall

Author: NRMA MotoringDate: 10 August 2011

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has issued a stern rebuke to ATECO Automotive regarding comments made to the media in relation to a recall of the Chinese-built Chery J1 sedan.

According to a statement by ANCAP, the organisation has taken issue with what it described as “incorrect public comments”. ANCAP tested this vehicle in May 2011 and assessed it as a 3-star safety rated vehicle.

ANCAP Chair, Lauchlan McIntosh, said ATECO claims the modifications (http://www.mynrma.com.au/motoring/news/2011/chery-turns-sour.htm) made to the Chery J1 sedan under its recall notice would “almost certainly get a 4-star rating” if the vehicle was tested again. According to ANCAP that is not correct.

“We are disappointed at these comments, particularly given ANCAP works closely with the automotive industry to deliver safer vehicles for Australian motorists,” Mr McIntosh said.

“The Chery J1 performed poorly in the crash tests - the passenger compartment lost structural integrity in the frontal impact test, providing limited protection from serious chest injury for the driver. Details of the ANCAP test and assessment can be found on the ANCAP data sheet at http://www.ancap.com.au/pdf/398.PDF.

“The testing also threw up an issue concerning the design and integrity of the seats in the Chery J1, leading Chery to initiate a voluntary recall of the J1 to replace seat backs across the range.”

“We were surprised to hear ATECO’s spokesman, Daniel Cotterill, comment in the media that the modifications would now see the Chery J1 almost certainly get a 4-star rating if crash tested again.

"These comments are clearly incorrect, as the modifications would not impact the overall crash test result, and the ATECO engineering staff should be aware of this," he said.

The next step in all of this will be to see if ATECO offers a modified Chery J1 sedan to ANCAP for another round of crash test assessment.

 

Tags:

News, J1

Car Reviews

Make
Model
Year
Review type

Join thousands of others following NRMA

  • rss

    RSS

  • rss

    Twitter