Don't be tempted by a cheap Chinese car

Post by **Big Kev** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 8:11 pm

The pictures say it all. Check out this crash video of a new Chinese car.

The top of the A pillar and the floor behind the wheel just fold like a paper cup!

China are about to launch an assault on the European car market with these things. God help anyone who buys one. Cheap, yes, but also bloody dangerous.

By comparison... a 3 series doing the same test

Post by **Shonky** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 8:55 pm

Wanna see something scary, check this out!

The 90Km/hr test is killer, the steering column!

Chaz · Post by **Chaz** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 9:35 pm

SHoNKY wrote:Wanna see something scary, check out

The 90Km/hr test is killer, the steering column!

lol christ, pop goes the head

bengatta · Post by **bengatta** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 10:02 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEA8GnqhLlg&NR=1

good chance this one is as good if not better than the new China car....

ysu · Post by **ysu** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 10:08 pm

SHoNKY wrote:Wanna see something scary, check out

The 90Km/hr test is killer, the steering column!

God that looks bad.

In fact at 70 it's probably already fatal (broken spine at the neck) but there's no question about the 90km/h one....

Virtual-R · Post by **Virtual-R** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 10:24 pm

China have been making "copycat" cars for awhile now, lots of european cars copied and remade in china, they look very similar to the original thing but in crash tests the fatality rate was really high at only 40kph impact speed.

by the way after seeing that link shonky, I no longer want a Sierra Cosworth lol lol

Bugle · Post by **Bugle** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 11:48 pm

Mclaren F1 FTW

Scuderia_Alan · Post by **Scuderia_Alan** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 12:02 am

I was in China in 2002 and 2004 and what a difference that was. in 02 there were quite a few cars but a lot of them were old VW taxis, vans, a few Japanese makes, Buicks (!?) and a few lucky to have Mercs.

Two years later and the place is packed with cars going from old VW taxis still around to all these extremely cheap-looking anonymous cars which can be best described as pantomime horses since the front and back were quite obviously ripped off of two different foreign designs. If you're doing well for yourself you have a Camry, a big VW like Passat or maybe a Merc.

I took a ride in someone's Passat and noticed how everything inside was cheapened. Also took a ride in a cheap Pajero knock-off and was constantly banging heads with other people thanks to the super-soft suspension and that was just on the smooth, newly-laid highway before we had to go off-road.

And of all places China is one country where you want the most survivable car possible, it's the scariest driving experience I've had so far. Traffic lights can have countdown timers which gives an incentive to beat the clock. Taxi drivers aren't averse to mounting the footpath to stop waiting at the red light. The list goes on.

It's not only safety that's the frustrating thing. Another reason, amongst many, for all the air pollution is engine design. Companies like VW knowingly use cheaper, more polluting engine designs that are over 10 years old for domestic manufacture because emission standards are yet to be enforced.

ysu · Post by **ysu** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 2:59 pm

Bugle wrote:Mclaren F1 FTW

but what speed??

Acerlyte · Post by **Acerlyte** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 4:14 pm

But of course the Aussie car does it best...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caOqD54oxRA

Post by **Shonky** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 4:20 pm

I think the crumple zone on the old Commy worked out a little longer than they expected.

Virtual-R · Post by **Virtual-R** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 4:29 pm

Australian engineering at its best :P

Glad I sold my old VC now, although the Gemini is probably just as bad / worse lol

I think the lesson from all of these videos is don't buy a car with a sunroof lol

Vilante · Post by **Vilante** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 4:48 pm

GT VIRUS · Post by **GT VIRUS** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 5:42 pm

Reminds me of the crash test i saw in Top Gear Magazine for that puny Geewiz. Environmentally friendly death...

AstrO · Post by **AstrO** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 6:40 pm

Go the Landwind

w00dsy · Post by **w00dsy** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 7:15 pm

Smart Car anyone?

Post by **Shonky** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 7:17 pm

I watched that Smart car one earlier, tough little bugger aint it!

Nigel · Post by **Nigel** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 7:23 pm

I can never get over the price of the smart though. At 23,000 ish its just too much money for what you get.

Post by **Big Kev** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 7:40 pm

ysu wrote:
Bugle wrote:Mclaren F1 FTW

but what speed??

The test in those days was 30mph/50kph into a concrete block.
It was still perfectly drivable afterwards.

ashsimmonds · Post by **ashsimmonds** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 11:34 pm

bengatta wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEA8GnqhLlg&NR=1

good chance this one is as good if not better than the new China car....

was gonna post that one as i have done it myself... 50-60kph and ended up with a broken neck.

never get in an old beetle, they are seriously quite likely fatal at anything over 40kph.

Coopz · Post by **Coopz** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 5:20 pm

w00dsy wrote:Smart Car anyone?

That impact would be more than enough to kill you:P

Why did they crash the Mclaren F1 D:
Who cares about safety it goes fucking fast!

fp · Post by fp » Mon Jun 25, 2007 5:35 pm

Coopz wrote:Who cares about safety it goes fucking fast!

My Swedish isn't very good, but I think that's the moral of the second video posted in the thread - the faster you go, the faster and more painless your demise...

Post by **norbs** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 9:53 pm

Speaking of Smart Cars.

Sorry about the music.