Nissan Navara bullbars score five

THE accessories and bullbar that accompany Nissan's new NP300 Navara ute range have been awarded a five-star crash rating from Australia's safety watchdog.

Nissan's latest Navara workhorse was awarded a five-star crash safety rating by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) earlier this year, but the latest score is from a separate frontal crash test of a vehicle fitted with Nissan's genuine accessories steel bullbar.

The Japanese car-maker said it had made “a significant investment” in the new bullbar range for the Navara, and highlighted the importance of the device to “work in unison with its frontal crash structure” and the vehicle's other safety systems.

There are four different versions – all built in China – available for the Navara including two that are made from steel and another two made from aluminium, to suit both the standard and wide-bodied cabin designs.

Nissan Australia managing director and CEO Richard Emery said the bullbars are a popular accessory for buyers of the new Navara that launched Down Under in June this year.

“Many of our NP300 Navara customers fit various types of accessories to their vehicles and the traditional Australian bullbar is one of the most popular,” he said.

“Nissan’s steel and aluminium bullbars have been carefully designed and engineered to work in complete harmony with all of the NP300 Navara’s structural elements and onboard safety systems.”

The development period for the bullbars was two years, according to Nissan, with design and engineering work completed alongside the final development of NP300 Navara.

Styling of the bullbars was carried out in Australia, in collaboration with Nissan's Global Design Centre, while engineering testing, including measuring durability standards was also completed Down Under. Some development was completed at the company's test facility in Tochigi, north of Tokyo.

Nissan also conducted its own internal crash safety tests to ensure deployment of the safety systems such as airbags.

Mr Emery echoed the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries' (FCAI) latest campaign to promote genuine parts over counterfeit parts.

“Safety, quality and durability don’t occur by accident,” Mr Emery said, “and these bullbars for the all-new NP300 Navara definitely show that genuine is best when it comes to vehicle accessories and parts”.

At the launch of the Navara in June, Mr Emery expressed concern that some 4x4 aftermarket suppliers had imported some non-Australian-spec Navaras from Thailand for in-house development of parts, and warned that local consumers could be put at a disadvantage.