Jalopnik: ncap

Smashing Safety: 12 New Cars Crashed In Eurocarnage Video Gallery

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:15:00 EST

The latest round of European NCAP crash testing's complete, which means our video-bin horn o' plenty overfloweth with clips of a dozen Euro cars getting the stuffing smashed outta them. Thank you NCAP, you've made this the best Smashgiving ever!

You've got the name, the overall rating Euro NCAP crash test rating and, you know, the video, below. Enjoy!

Vehicle:Mazda 3
Rating: ★★★★★

Vehicle: Infiniti FX
Rating: ★★★★★

Vehicle: Citroen DS3
Rating: ★★★★★

Vehicle: Toyota Urban Cruiser
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Vehicle: Mercedes GLK
Rating: ★★★★★

Vehicle: Opel/Vauxhall Astra
Rating: ★★★★★

Vehicle: Peugeot 5008
Rating: ★★★★★

Vehicle: Mercedes E-Class
Rating: ★★★★★

Vehicle: Chevrolet Spark
Rating: ★★★★☆

Vehicle: Volkswagen Scirocco
Rating: ★★★★★

Vehicle: Chevrolet Cruze
Rating: ★★★★★

Vehicle: BMW X1
Rating: ★★★★★

Ten Best Super Car Crash Tests

The Auto Insider — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:30:00 EDT

In a strange celebration of the multitudes of wrecked exotics we've recently seen, we've compiled the ten best NHTSA crash tests of sports cars and super cars. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll thank us.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) does some pretty mean and twisted things to our cars before we ever get behind the wheel and for that you should thank them. They've helped us choose which cars are the safest for ourselves, our children, our pets as well as for other drivers and pedestrians. By now you've probably seen how bad some of these tests can get, most notable being the recent zero star rating that the Chinese-built Brilliance BS4 received in the Euro NCAP (European New Car Assessment Programme) tests, but have you ever really, truly wondered how some of our favorite sports cars and exotic cars have fared in these gruesome tests? Below, you'll find ten crash tests that we've found thanks in part to the magical intarwebz that we've rated in order of least to most cringe-worthy. This has no bearing on how the vehicles actually performed in the test, but more in how they performed based on our ability not to yelp in pain while watching it. You'll either really like or really hate what you'll see, but either way, you'll now know that the NHTSA was in fact looking out for all the tools running around wrecking their exotics. Enjoy!

10. Honda S2000

9. Nissan 350Z

8. Porsche Boxster

7. Corvette C6

6. Mercedes-Benz SL

5. Ford RS200

4. Lamborghini Diablo

3. Jaguar XJ220

2. McLaren F1

1. Formula One

[clips via youtube]

Lutz Calls For Three-Year NHTSA Crash Testing Moratorium

Andrew Stoy — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:15:00 EDT

In a conversation with WardsAuto.com, GM vice-chairman and product czar Bob Lutz stated his desire for at least a three-year suspension of US frontal and side-impact crash testing standards. Said Lutz, “In Europe, the crash-test procedures are different than in the U.S., so the tests are different. If our government says cars that meet crash tests in other countries are good enough to be sold here, we would have more high-mileage, small-car flexibility.” In other words, Lutz isn't calling for the sale of vehicles that haven't been crash tested, just the ability to legally sell vehicles that have passed Euro NCAP — and possibly other — safety standards, but not US NHTSA standards.

Jalopnik Snap Judgment: We've been over this a hundred times. Europeans get cool cars that we cannot get because they don't meet our emissions standards or our crash test standards. Making Euro NCAP an acceptable standard for American vehicles would remove one of the huge challenges domestic manufacturers face in supplying a market hungry for stylish small vehicles. And it's not like Euro NCAP is the Sichuan Province Regional Crash Academy — some vehicles that pass NHTSA do very poorly on NCAP, and even NHTSA has admitted that its testing standards are out of date, requiring an overhaul. So let's look at the score: This proposal would make it easier for manufacturers to provide us with more choice at less cost to them, all without endangering our safety. We have a winner; now let's make it happen. Just don't cheat and try to sneak some tin-can-crumpling third-world garbage onto the market, ruining it for everyone else.
[Wards Automotive, Sub. Req.]

Renault Celebrates 5-Star NCAP Crash Testing...By Crashing Some Cars

Ray Wert — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 13:00:00 EDT

Crashing some cars totally seems like a good way to celebrate an all-lineup five-star showing in NCAP frontal testing, and we're glad to see Renault's got the guts to do it. This German commercial for the French automaker's a great example of why ballet is best viewed when performed by cars, and why we love to see mechanical things of any sort hitting each other.

Brilliance BC3 Turbo Coupe Coming To China For $15,000

Ray Wert — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 09:15:00 EDT

Brilliance, the automaker most recently associated with crashtastic Euro NCAP testing, plans to release the BC3 coupe shown at the Geneva Auto Show earlier this year. First Brilliance plans to drop the 170 HP turbocharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder two-door in the local market this year, Europe in 2008 and perhaps even as a US offering the year after. We'll wait and see — first they've got to get through NCAP and then, more importantly, NHTSA crash testing. [via Edmunds]

Uh Oh, Aveo: Europe's NCAP Calls Out Three-Star-Safe Chevy for Poor Front Crash Performance

Mike Spinelli — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 15:30:28 EST

According to Europe's car-safety gurus, NCAP, the Chevrolet Aveo is a safe car, as long as you don't hit anything head-on. Then, it turns into the most economical enabler of catastrophic chest compression you can buy. Singled out as having an "unacceptably high risk of life-threatening injury to the driver s chest," the Aveo nonetheless scored a three-star rating from the agency.

A wake-up call for the motor industry as Euro NCAP awards two star strike-through for the new Chevrolet Aveo* [NCAP]

Related:
Safety, Schmafety: The Least-Safe Cars of 06 [internal]