LDV expects five-star safety rating for T60 ute

LDV is anticipating a maximum Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) crash safety rating for its new T60 pick-up, which would make it the second Chinese-made vehicle to nab a full five stars behind the MG GS.

With standard safety equipment including six airbags, blind spot monitoring, anti-lock brakes, electronic brake-force distribution, electronic stability program, hill-start assist, reversing camera, rear parking sensors, tyre pressure monitoring, automatic windscreen wipers and cruise control, LDV is hoping to shake the image that Chinese vehicles are not as safe as its mainstream 4x4 pick-up competitors.

Speaking to Australian journalists at the launch of the T60 pick-up, Ateco Group – local importers of the LDV brand – managing director Roger Zagorski addressed concerns over the new T60’s safety credentials given prior Chinese-made utes including the Great Wall Steed and Foton Tunland managed only two- and three-star ratings respectively.

“The vehicles have been crashed by our experts in Australian laboratories and we are very comfortable that the vehicle performs very well,” he said. “The ratings are yet to be released, but we are very, very confident it will perform very well.

“To describe it as another Chinese ute would do it a disservice, this is a world-standard vehicle. It raises the bar on safety aspects and has features and advanced technologies that would certainly compete with the Japanese competitors head on.”

When questioned on vehicle fit and finish and quality control, a problem which plagued Ateco’s previous Great Wall and Chery portfolio as some cars were found to contain asbestos, Mr Zagorski said SAIC – LDV’s parent company – builds its cars to a higher standard compared with its compatriots.

“What’s in the past is in the past, to compare SAIC and LDV to any of the other Chinese competitors is inappropriate this is a global brand, the product stands up, it is fantastically built, the fit and finish on these vehicles is second to none,” he said.

“SAIC as an organisation is massive in terms of production, producing up to seven million vehicles a year, the production quality and supply chains is such that we don’t expect any similar problems.”

SAIC Motor vice president Lan Qingsong said both the T60 ute and its related D90 large SUV can compete against the best vehicles in the world in regards to safety specification.

“In terms of the safety, we’re very confident,” he said. “The active passenger protections as well as the passive safety protections – and we also will be equipping assistive intelligence solutions onto those two products – we’re very confident that these two products will be compete with the world-class competitors in every way.”