BYD F3 crush test in russia according to the rules of euroNCAP

http://www.eng.auto-dealer.ru/articl...t.php?id=25593
15 january 2008
BYD F3 – a Chinese car with a European safety level

The last crush test was held at Dmitrovsky Poligon (testing ground) during the last days of 2007. Why was it special? First, a car of BYD, one of the most promising Chinese car manufacturers, was tested. Secondly, the test was held according to EuroNCAP rules which are considered among the most advanced today. These rules are not mandatory in Europe yet, but they are the ones all leading brands use to test their cars. And now that was the test for BYD F3 distributed to Russia by IRITO company. That was IRITO to decide to test the car to check its compatibility with high world standards.

According to the rules of a front-face EuroNCAP crush-test, a car collides with a shock-absorbing wall driving 64 km/h. BYD F3 tested was equipped by two safety bags (for a driver and a passenger). The bags worked perfectly – they saved the mannequins from the hit on their head. The engine compartment was considerably damaged, however, the cabin had enough living space for both the driver and the passenger. A slight fold on the roof did not prevent the driving door to open, which makes the car even safer, though this fact does not influence the EuroNCAP evaluation result. Contemporary solutions used in BYD F3 made it possible for this car to show considerably good result among the representatives of Chinese car manufacturers.

Because of the fact BYD F3 was not tested with a side collision test, it got a normal grade – 10.2 points out of 16. Compare with its main rival – a flagship of Russian passenger cars – Lada Priora which got only 10.56 points.

So, Chinese cars are slowly winning the Russian market. The fact that apart from a low price these cars can provide a normal safety level is rather optimistic.