Chinese automaker Geely Auto said it conducted a beyond-compliance crash test of its Starray EM-i sport utility vehicle at a Euro NCAP-accredited testing facility in France, using a collision scenario designed to exceed current side-impact assessment standards.
The test took place at the UTAC automotive testing centre and combined a side-impact collision with a far-side rigid pole impact, a sequence Geely described as the first live demonstration of its kind in Europe.
According to the company, the vehicle was struck by a moving deformable barrier at 60 kilometres per hour before being pushed into a rigid pole positioned on the opposite side of the vehicle to simulate a chain-reaction multi-vehicle collision.
The evaluation assessed passenger compartment integrity, restraint system deployment timing and battery protection performance for new energy vehicles.
Geely said the Starray EM-i maintained an intact passenger cell during the test while airbags and other restraint systems deployed as designed. The company added that the vehicle’s emergency eCall system was activated automatically and the doors unlocked following the impact.
The demonstration was held during the “Automotive Safety Tech Globalization & Innovation in the Smart Driving Era” summit, co-hosted by China Automotive Engineering Research Institute and UTAC.
Geely said the crash protocol extends beyond current Euro NCAP side-impact homologation requirements by replicating collision scenarios involving multiple impacts that are not included in existing regulatory procedures.
The automaker said it has received five-star safety ratings across multiple global testing programmes, including Euro NCAP, C-NCAP, ANCAP, ASEAN NCAP and C-IASI evaluations.
Geely also said it has completed more than 80 safety assessments globally and has shared selected safety-related patents with other industry participants. These include technologies related to one-touch window-breaking systems and underbody battery protection.