The first truly independent road crash tests in China will begin next week with the Nissan X-Trail Sports Utility Vehicle the first car to undergo a trial smash.

 

The new system was consistent with the international New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) and the test vehicles would be bought by the testing organization on the market rather than supplied by the manufacturer as was previously the case.

 

The Beijing Daily reported on Tuesday that the Chinese NCAP would be undertaken by the Beijing-based China Automotive Technology and Research Center, a body involved in setting national automotive standards.

 

Liu Yuguang, director of the center's crash test laboratory, was quoted as saying that the center had bought six different vehicle models on the market for testing purposes.

 

The first test, on the Nissan X-Trail produced by Dongfeng Automobile Co. in Central China's Hubei Province, was expected to take place on Aug. 29, he said.

 

By mid-October, the center would have completed tests on at least four models and published the test results, Liu said.

 

With experience gained from crash tests on 1,200 vehicles since1999 and the acquisition of new equipment in 2005, the center was proficient in international NCAP standards.

 

China is one of the world's biggest automobile markets after an explosive growth in recent years.

 

Industry forecasts estimate China's vehicle production is likely to break the seven million mark this year, overtaking Germany to become the third largest producer in the world after the United States and Japan.

 

Liu said the new crash tests would be more objective and independent as all the costs would be borne by the center. The testing process and results would be open to the public.

 

In the past, vehicles were brought to the laboratory by manufacturers and carmakers had no obligation to publish the results.

 

The center planned to issue test results on 10 to 15 vehicles every year, Liu said.

 

(Xinhua News Agency August 23, 2006)