Car safety body on crash course

A dispute between crash test authorities and a leading car maker is about to spark widespread confusion for car buyers wanting to find out about the safety ratings for new vehicles.

Renault plans to advertise locally a five star crash test result earned overseas, even though the car will be given a four star rating by Australian authorities when it goes on sale later this year.

The Renault Captur SUV is destined to get a lower score in Australia than in Europe because it only comes with four airbags rather than six, which has become the norm, lacking airbag protection for back-seat passengers.

It's a surprising step backwards for Renault given it was the first car maker to earn a five-star rating in 2001, and six airbags are available on most new cars these days, including one of the cheapest hatchbacks on the market, the $11,990 Suzuki Alto.

Australian authorities have already closed the rear airbag loophole but their European counterparts were slow to act and the new requirement won't come into force there for two years.

The two NCAP organisations share the same crash test data but apply their own standards. In this case, the Australian standards are more robust  than Europe's.

The two bodies are in the process of more closely aligning their scores, but in the meantime buyers could be confused with the real safety rating of their cars as Renault sets a precedent to promote the five-star Euro result, even though the Australia rating will be four stars.

"I think it's a bit dodgy," said Anders Lie, a board member for Euro NCAP, when asked how Euro NCAP would feel about Renault advertising the foreign crash test result in the Australian market.

David Ward, the secretary general for Global NCAP, who was also in Melbourne this week for a safety conference, accused Renault of losing its focus. "There is a huge contrast between Renault's previous CEO (Louis Schweitzer) and Carlos Ghosn," said Mr Ward.

"Carlos Ghosn has taken his eye off the ball in terms of vehicle safety and I'm happy to say that on the record. Under Mr Schweitzer, Renault was the first to get a five-star score and then aimed to get five stars right across the board."

The boss of Renault Australia, Justin Hocevar, said: "We disagree with this assertion. Renault's focus upon safety remains as strong as ever."
Last week, Mr Hocevar questioned the need for an Australian division of NCAP, telling industry journal Go Auto: "Will ANCAP still be around? Will they still get funding if there's no Australian-made cars (from 2017)?"

When asked about Renault Australia's suggestion that there would be no use for the independent crash test program in Australia after 2017, Mr Ward said: "I'd be very surprised if Renault headquarters would support that statement. The UN General Assembly resolution just adopted last month that there should be NCAP in all world regions. I can't believe that is a credible position."

The head of the Australasian NCAP, Nick Clark, told News Corp Australia: "We are deeply committed to ANCAP and ANCAP will be around for many decades to come."

Most government departments and large fleet operators insist all work vehicles have a five-star Australasian NCAP rating. There were concerns that Federal funding of ANCAP could be cut, but the increase in the number of vehicles from emerging markets means consumers will still need help defining the differences in vehicle safety.

In the past few years a number of Chinese and Malaysian-made vehicles have scored "poor" two star ratings for crash safety after being tested by ANCAP.

The Federal Government's support package of $5 million over five years represents roughly one-third of the funding from a total of 23 financial backers, including transport authorities in each state, road service providers and insurance companies.

When asked when Euro NCAP and Australiasian NCAP regulations would become aligned, Mr Ward said: "Global NCAP is trying to support closer co-operation between NCAPs so we can raise the bar for everyone."

This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling