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Chery Not So Sweet


Chery Not So Sweet

Author: Trent NikolicDate: 12 May 2011
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Sadly, the safety story for the first Chinese car to enter the Australian market isn't quite as positive as the value story.

NRMA's vehicle safety expert Jack Haley announced the 3-star rating for the Chery J1 this morning. He stated that the low rating was disappointing and falls below the NRMA recommended 5-star ANCAP rating for passenger vehicles.

"The Chery J1 performed poorly in protecting occupants," Mr Haley said. "The J1 doesn't have life-saving features such as electronic stability control and head-protecting side airbags – features essential to achieving a 5-star rating."

Chery has only recently entered the Australian market hot on the heels of the Great Wall brand launching here last year. Great Wall has been something of a value story in the market and many have expected Chery to be a similar story now. However, the saftey issue is something that won't go away.

NSW Centre for Road Safety Director Dr Soames Job said Great Wall utilities were initially rated just 2-stars. "We can only hope Chery works on improving the safety of the J1 so it is comparable to other models in its class," Dr Job said. "There are now many 5-star passenger cars on the market so the technology to achieve the top rating is well known."

Chery wasn't the only brand under the gun today either. The Camry and Camry Hybrid were both tested and awarded a 5-star ratings after equipment changes were made by Toyota, meeting ANCAP requirements. Mr Haley said consumers were the winners now that Toyota had improved the safety of this model.

For a full list of vehicle safety ratings and other vehicle safety information, visit www.mynrma.com.au/ancap.

 

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J1, News

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