As we all know, Chinese brands have been landing in SA thick and fast over the last couple of years, to such an extent that they are making a serious dent in the other manufacturers’ sales figures. With over 20 brands representing over 30% of the total car brands on the market and sales figures climbing each month they have become a force to be reckoned with.
The reasons for their success is pretty obvious. Firstly they offer high-tech features and gadgets as standard equipment. No longer are the Chinese brands hovering at the bottom of the food chain. They have seriously entered the luxury segment as well. Selling prices of 15-25% lower than competitors as well as comprehensive and longer warranties makes it is too attractive to ignore.
If you look at the Chinese brands it is pretty clear that they share a huge amount of technology. One can actually see the synergy in a lot of the brands, with the screens and menus being identical. This makes for cost cutting in the R&D budget. With build quality having improved drastically over the last two decades it adds to the value for money aspect.
However, two questions remain:
Firstly, how durable will these vehicles be over time and how will they hold their value? Although they have started to enter the pre-owned market this is something only time will reveal.
Secondly, how safe are these vehicles? In the past Chinese vehicles were infamous for having little or no safety at all. With the modern generation of vastly improved and impressive Chinese vehicles we automatically assume that the safety standards would also be right up there with the European models. However, the proof is in the pudding…
This brings us to safety ratings. What is NCAP? This is the acronym for New Car Assessment Program. It is a global system of independent consumer organizations that evaluate vehicles on their ability to protect adult occupants, children, and pedestrians, as well as their active crash-avoidance technologies.
Every new vehicle entering the market is tested and given a safety rating. This is achieved by means of controlled crashing of the vehicle at specific angles and speeds. Crash test dummies inside the vehicle are fitted with an abundance of sensors which provide feedback afterwards.
All manufacturers ultimately strive for a 5-star NCAP rating.
Regional NCAP programs include:
- Global NCAP: Evaluates cars marketed across emerging markets and provides a standard baseline for vehicle crashworthiness.
- Euro NCAP: Based in Europe, it is one of the strictest and most comprehensive programs globally, strongly influencing manufacturing standards.
- Latin NCAP and ASEAN NCAP: Provide regionalized safety testing for cars driven in Latin America and Southeast Asia.
Two specific vehicles caught the spotlight very recently when they achieved extremely low NCAP safety ratings. The Kia Sonet was only given a 1-star rating and the Haval Jolion a 2-star rating.
To sum up the findings:
Q: What were the specific Global NCAP crash-test scores for the SA-spec Kia Sonet and Haval Jolion?
A: In the recent safety assessments conducted in collaboration with the AA of South Africa, the entry-level Kia Sonet LS received a 1-star rating for adult-occupant protection. The entry-level GWM Haval Jolion City performed slightly better, securing a 2-star rating for adult protection. Both compact crossovers achieved a 3-star rating for child-occupant protection.
Q: Why did these entry-level variants score poorly in the adult protection category?
A: The low scores were driven primarily by the absence of standard side head-protection (curtain) airbags, preventing Global NCAP from conducting the critical side-pole impact test. Additionally, the Kia Sonet’s structural integrity raised concerns, with its footwell and overall bodyshell rated as unstable and unable to withstand further structural loads. It also demonstrated poor chest protection during side-impact evaluations.
Q: How have Kia South Africa and GWM South Africa responded to these critical safety findings?
A: Both automotive brands committed to specification upgrades. Kia SA announced plans to introduce a new Sonet LS+ derivative in Q3 2026 featuring 6 airbags as standard. Similarly, GWM SA confirmed that future production cycles of the Jolion City and Jolion Pro Premium will be upgraded to include curtain airbags across the board.
(Read the full article by Ryan Bubear at https://www.cars.co.za/motoring-news/global-ncap-says-sonet-and-jolion-fall-short-on-safety/348695/)
