All-new Suzuki Swift and Kia Rio also receive top marks.
SAIC has both LDV and MG under its wing, but the latter’s GS crossover has become the first vehicle built by a Chinese company to be awarded the full 5-star safety rating by ANCAP, such is the case with originally British MG brand as it currently is.
Also, and somewhat importantly, it has pipped the T60 ute to that same accolade as LDV too were rather confident it would perform admirably in those same tests and evaluation, and the same goes for the D90 SUV. Sibling rivalry aside, this is a significant win in the fight for positive public opinion on the side of Chinese manufacturers as a whole, who have struggled to really prove themselves to offer safety parity with their Japanese, American, and European alternatives.
The result, while pioneering, isn’t the first go-around ANCAP has had with with the GS. It previously took a 4-star rating when it was tested during its local introduction period in August 2016. However, upgrades at the production level as well as improved specifications for the 2018 model year (built from August 2017) was enough to edge it up to that coveted 5-star tier.
James Goodwin, CEO of ANCAP, said: “We initially assessed this model earlier this year and saw that while structurally it offered sound levels of occupant protection, its safety specification did not meet what is now expected as a minimum for a 5 star car. MG must be commended for upgrading this model and this achievement raises the bar for other similar brands entering the very competitive Australian new vehicle fleet.”
The MG GS features dual frontal, side chest, and curtain airbags as standard, along with seat belt reminders for all seats. In the crash tests, it took an total score of 34.47 out of a possible 37 with a 13.47 (out of 16) in the frontal offset and a 16 over 16 in the side impact test.
Along with this latest batch of crash tests and safety evaluations came the results for two new cars on the smaller side things: the fourth-generation Kia Rio that entered the market in January and fourth-generation Suzuki Swift that’s been with us since June.
Overall, they both receive the 5-star rating, however the recommendation extends to all variants of the Kia whereas only the higher-specified Swifts are truly eligible - the base GL receives a reduced 4-star rating. In the crash tests, the Kia Rio received a very impressive overall 35.52 out of 36 points while the Swift received a 32.49.
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