The Australian and New Zealand New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) has given the MG5 no stars in both the safety technology and vehicle structure categories.
Chinese car manufacturer MG will quickly upgrade the structure and new collision avoidance technology for the MG5 sedan model after it received the lowest safety rating for a new car in Australia.
Last week, the MG5 became the third car model to receive a 0-star safety rating from ANCAP, along with the Mahindra Scorpio and the Mitsubishi Express van – which were tested in 2021.
According to ANCAP, the MG5 scored poorly in terms of protecting passengers in collisions and preventing injuries to people inside the vehicle, as well as the vehicle’s collision avoidance capabilities.
Prior to ANCAP’s test results, MG announced a range of safety technology changes for the MG5 to improve user protection – as well as pedestrian protection in the event of a collision. These new features are planned to be introduced in the MG5 next year.
They will include a range of new collision avoidance features, such as lane-keeping assistance, traffic sign recognition, and advanced emergency braking system. According to Drive, the cost of developing these upgrades will be up to $4 million.
MG has not confirmed whether they will send the MG5 sedan back to ANCAP for retesting after the upgrades. The Chinese car manufacturer has not announced any changes to the structure of the MG5 or any other airbag, so the sedan may still not achieve a 5-star rating after the upgrade.
The user protection changes include an all-seat safety belt tensioning system that tightens the seat belts upon collision and keeps the passengers seated, along with a dynamic load limiter to “manage the force acting on the safety belt during a collision”.
The all-seat safety belt tensioning system is designed to actively tighten the seat belts in the event of a collision – and pull the seated person back into their seat. It differs from the typical inertial reel seat belts, which are designed to prevent the safety belts from extending further from their current position.
In addition, the manufacturer has also announced that the MG5 will have a “leg protection panel” placed under the front bumper to improve pedestrian safety – as well as a front collision sensor and passenger detection system to alert if there are still people inside the vehicle.
Next, the safety technology in the MG5 will be supplemented with features such as traffic sign recognition (with speed limit), lane-keeping assistance, lane departure warning, and safe exit warning. The emergency braking system will be upgraded to operate at intersections and prevent the vehicle from moving into the path of oncoming traffic.
These upgrades were previously described as part of a “safety package,” meaning they may be optional on a version. However, MG has confirmed that they will be standard across the entire upgraded MG5 lineup.
TT (Tuoitrethudo)
Reference: Drive