Honda Malaysia recently sponsored a new Honda City for the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Vehicles (MIROS) to run the ASEAN New Car Assessment Programme (ASEAN NCAP) crash test. The first crash test was conducted at the specially built NCAP crash lab in Malacca, where a series of crash tests for sedans and small cars will be undertaken under its Phase I testing. The crash test speed was recorded at 63.6 km/h. Following this crash test, another City will undergo an official ASEAN NCAP crash test in December, which will further add tenability to the results when announced later.
Honda Malaysia’s participation in the ASEAN NCAP crash test is part of its long-term commitment towards advanced safety technologies in its vehicles. The study of ASEAN NCAP is to elevate motor vehicle safety standards in Malaysia and to standardise the safety ratings among all manufacturers in the Malaysian market.
Honda Malaysia Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Yoichiro Ueno said, We are pleased to be able to assist MIROS in the ASEAN NCAP as we share a mutual desire for safer cars and safer roads in Malaysia. At Honda, we are committed to identifying and implementing advanced designs and features that help enhance the safety of Honda vehicles on the road. Honda has a long history of leadership in the development and application of advanced technologies and designs to enhance the safety of all road users, including occupants of other vehicles and injury mitigation for pedestrians. This commitment to safety is rooted in Honda’s goal to be a company that society wants to exist.
This opportunity to work with MIROS is indeed timely as we are able to assist in analysing the safety ratings of Honda cars in our efforts towards promoting and supporting the government’s move towards road safety. Honda safety experts also came in from Japan specifically to assist in this effort by MIROS, Mr. Ueno added.
Honda is proactively supporting the development of ASEAN NCAP by providing technical expertise and guidance to help uphold the assessment to reach international crash standards. During the crash test session, Mr. Yoshiji Kadotani, Mr. Tadashi Mashita, Chief and Assistant Chief Engineer of Honda’s R&D were at hand to guide the MIROS team on various aspects of the crash test. Dummies placements, the ideal in-car temperature to monitor the dummies, mechanics to achieve the desired speed in order to get accurate results and tweaking of the cables to obtain the right tension when the car is pulled were some of the details that the team worked on with MIROS to stimulate a real-life crash situation. Mr. Kadotani, Mr. Mashita and their team have extensive experience in vehicle safety, having crash tested more than 20,000 cars.
At the crash test session, the MIROS NCAP’s Development Manager, Mr. Khairil Anwar reiterated his gratitude for Honda’s willingness to work hand-in-hand with MIROS towards setting an ASEAN safety assessment standard.
The body structure of a Honda car is built with the G-force Control Technology (G-CON) that helps disperse crash impact and absorb impact energy by reducing injuries significantly while improving safety for everyone involved in a collision. Honda’s passive safety technologies also include the Dual Front SRS Airbags and the 3-point Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) seatbelts to minimize injury of passengers. In terms of active safety, Honda’s Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) controls are designed to assist the driver in slippery situations and stabilise the vehicle accordingly. Besides VSA, the City is equipped with Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Emergency Brake Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA).
Safety is part of Honda’s commitment and priority; thus, we always pro-actively comply with new regulations. In fact, all Honda cars safety standards and crashworthiness meet the UN Economic Commission of Europe (UNECE) R94 and R95 regulations. Honda will continue to study real world situations and develop new safety technologies for its customers to make the roads of the world a safer place.
Results of the City ASEAN NCAP crash test will be made public by MIROS and at ASEAN NCAP’s website.