With the recent award from ASEAN NCAP (New Car Assessment Program for Southeast Asian countries), the Chery OMODA 5 now has its third 5-star rating from a regional New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) organisation outside China. The maximum rating was given in 2022 by Euro NCAP and the Australasian New Car Assessment Program.
While all NCAPs have generally similar assessment standards, each organisation may also include some specific criteria relevant to the region. Thus, with the OMODA 5 having entered the ASEAN region over the past year, ASEAN NCAP’s assessment is of value to car-buyers who are concerned about how well protected they will be.
The 5-star rating, which is the maximum possible, reflects the safety standards of the modern generation of vehicles from Chinese automakers. 20 years ago, when the first Chinese vehicles began to enter the European market, crash tests showed them to be lacking in structural strength and one model even got no stars.
However, the Chinese automakers quickly increased attention on safety, especially as China also established C-NCAP. By 2012, C-NCAP’s test protocols were close to matching those of Euro NCAP; 6 years later, the testing was as tough as what was carried out in Europe.
Chery, as China’s top passenger vehicle exporter, obviously paid a lot of attention to ensuring its vehicles would meet global safety standards. While it has entered the ASEAN market in recent times with a few models, the OMODA 5 is the first one to be assessed by ASEAN NCAP.
The SUV, which has a 1.5-litre turbocharged engine, achieved its 5-star rating with an accumulated score of 88.64 points. The score was totalled from the 4 assessment categories that ASEAN NCAP has defined under its 2021–2025 protocol.
These are Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) with a score of 36.77 points; Child Occupant Protection (COP) with 17.36 points; Safety Assist (SA) assessment by achieving 19.51 points; and Motorcyclist Safety (MS) category with 15.00 points.
Click here for ASEAN NCAP’s full report
ASEAN NCAP noted that the Chery showed a strong commitment in vehicle safety by offering a range of vehicle safety features as standard fitment across all its variants of the OMODA 5. These include 6 SRS airbags, ABS, Electronic Stability Control, Autonomous Emergency Braking City and Inter-Urban, Blind Spot Detection, Auto High Beam and Pedestrian Protection (PP) technology.
Additionally, there is also a Seatbelt Reminder System which includes the rear occupants, as well as, rear occupant detection.
Certain variants are equipped with additional advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) such as Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Warning, and Lane Keep Assist.
The organisation is pleased that one of Chery’s models was assessed by ASEAN NCAP. This is to ensure the safety specifications offered for the said model sold in this region meet the requirements that ASEAN NCAP has set.
“Through this 5-star achievement, ASEAN NCAP hopes Chery will continue to ensure its other models marketed for the region meet the same performance as the OMODA 5. This will undoubtedly give the needed safety benefits for the ASEAN users to enjoy and subsequently help to reduce the high number of road fatalities the region is currently faced with,” a statement from ASEAN NCAP said.
Commenting on the achievement, Michael Chew, Chery Malaysia’s Vice-President, said: “Having already secured 5-star ratings from both Euro NCAP and ANCAP, the OMODA 5 now adds the crowning achievement of a top rating from ASEAN NCAP—truly the icing on the cake.”
“Achieving the ASEAN NCAP safety rating is a testament to our continuous commitment to safety, innovation and, most of all, to our customers. This rating is not just a badge of honour; it is a promise to our customers that our OMODA 5 is built with your safety in mind as our highest priority,” added Mr. Chew.
Click here to know more about the OMODA 5 and where to test it