According to Euro NCAP (European New Car Assessment Programme), safety technology does not drive up new car showroom prices, yet some car brands choose not to aim for the maximum five-star safety rating.
“The fact that something increases safety does not necessarily mean that the marketing department decides to put it in the car. It is naive to think that it works that way,” said Euro NCAP Secretary General Dr. Michiel van Ratingen at a media event he attended in Europe Daily Sparkz.
At the same event, Euro NCAP technical director Richard Schram said that while he did not expect prices to rise due to mandatory safety technology, some brands were deliberately aiming for less than five stars to keep costs down.
“What we are seeing in the European market is the Dacia brand is clearly not aiming for five stars – they want to be at the budget end (of pricing) but they will be aiming for three (stars).”“, said Mr. Schram.
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“And I would say even a one-star car, if you’re aiming for it, that’s your wish – if you give up and do nothing, that’s a bit strange: we don’t see any manufacturer doing that.”
The first Dacia model launched in Australia, the Duster small SUV, was launched here last year as the Renault Duster and has a three-star Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) rating.
“So Dacia would really go for three stars, and what you’ll see there is that it’s significantly better than the regulations. But they’ve made some clear decisions: ‘I’m not going to put this system in because it’s really expensive,'” Mr Schram said.
Brands such as Suzuki, also known for affordable small cars and SUVs, also fail to achieve a five-star rating – although ANCAP chief Carla Hoorweg said budget brands should still be able to meet the highest safety standards without significantly increasing prices.
Dr. van Ratingen said a car with a safety rating below five stars could still be a worthwhile purchase because it offers a level of safety above legal requirements.
“In my view, it’s our five levels of security,” he said. “Does that mean four stars is unsafe? No – it’s safe, but not as safe as five stars. But it’s safe. Three too, by the way. That’s how I see things, otherwise five stars wouldn’t make sense.”
The secretary general of Euro NCAP said the organization would not follow the methodology of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the US.
The IIHS uses Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ rankings instead of a star rating system, which Dr. van Ratingen does not fit the Euro NCAP.
“I think we often misunderstand that not everyone can buy five-star cars, but I believe there are five-star cars in all segments, so people who are interested in buying the safest car have the option. They can make that decision.”
Mr. Schram said dual rating systems for specific model lines help balance the needs of cost-conscious and safety-oriented customers as well as automakers.
“We’ve also tried to address that a little bit with what we call ‘double scoring’: if you want to have this package – it’s not that they don’t know what to do – it’s a clear decision not to make it the default,” he said.
“If you’re a consumer and you want a five-star Dacia, you want this package – which is not standard and therefore doesn’t get a five-star Euro NCAP rating – but it’s there and we’ve tested it too. So if you want a five-star Dacia, you can.”
In Australia, the Kia K4 is an example of a dual rating vehicle. The entry-level S variant is rated four stars by ANCAP unless it is equipped with a safety package.
All K4 models delivered in Australia currently have the Safety Pack as standard, which offers improved AEB with Cross-Traffic Assist (as well as a larger instrument cluster) and gives them a five-star rating.
“I think this is one of the success stories for Euro NCAP,” said Mr Schram. “The high-end vehicle safety systems – we’ve been able to put them in lower-level, high-volume vehicles, basically because high volumes drive the (price) down and make all of these advanced safety systems more affordable.”
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