Chinese SUV Gets Worst-Ever Safety Grades
Date Posted 09-20-2005

LONDON — The JiangLing Landwind sport-utility vehicle, one of the first Chinese vehicles to hit a major western market, received the worst-ever score in European safety crash tests.

The two-ton 4x4 scored zero stars in crash tests last week by the ADAC, the German automobile club, which carries out tests for the European market, the Times of London reported.

"It had a catastrophic result," said a spokesman for the ADAC. "In our 20-year history, no car has performed as badly."

The Landwind, which competes against products such as the Kia Sportage and the Hyundai Tucson, was displayed at the Frankfurt motor show last week and is expected to arrive in British showrooms in a few months. It is already on sale in Germany, Belgium and Holland. A decision has not been made whether to sell the vehicle in the United States.

Safety researchers said a driver would be unlikely to survive a head-on collision at 40 mph in the Landwind.

What this means to you: Delete the JiangLing Landwind from your shopping list. Researchers warn it "belongs in the 1990s in terms of engineering."

Edited September 21, 200520 yr by HarleyEarl

Pretty bad for what appears to be a Rodeo.

Edited September 21, 200520 yr by Satty

Isn't that just an Isuzu?

My guess would be the Chinese ripped off the last-gen Rodeo for styling and the first-gen for platform. Anyone worried about Chinese cars coming here now? I dont think they're going to sell very well, no matter the price, if the driver is going to be crushed to death after rear-ending another car at 6mph.

Edited September 21, 200520 yr by Satty

The styling reminds me of a mash-up between a Rodeo, previous-generation Explorer, and a mid-90s Blazer...

Looks like an early 90's explorer. Finally something that's worse than my Cavalier :lol:

I guess all those articles proclaiming Chinese vehicles are a threat to America are correct in a different way...

Old-style Rodeo IIHS test results
This lends creedence to Satty's theory.

Doesn't really suprise me... sad to think that over half the junk in the US stores nowday's is made in China, and even more so, the big 3 want to start building cars there. NAFTA = bad

Edited September 21, 200520 yr by BuddyP

It has nothing to do about where they're built. It has everything to do on what materials and engineering the car companies in China are using. Chinese companies that aren't co-owned by Foreign companies are not going to have any expertise in saftey. They're just making cars so they can turn a profit no matter how unsafe they are. I hope this will keep buying Chinese cars in the US. Sure, everyone wants to save a little dough but no one wants to die in a 40 mph accident.

Doesn't really suprise me... sad to think that over half the junk in the US stores nowday's is made in China, and even more so, the big 3 want to start building cars there.

NAFTA = bad

[post="17843"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

What does the North American Free Trade Agreement have to do with China???

Besides, crash safety is all about IP, not where the cars are made.

Isn't that just an Isuzu?

[post="17738"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

No, it's a copycat version......the Chinese do this all the time. It's comical to see some of the cars they try to pass off as their own (search the web for some). They are usually peices of junk. On the other hand, if the company is affiliated with a respected company like GM, VW, Honda, etc., then they will be MUCH safer and in al, better engineering.

Watch these vids...watch the A-pillar on the first video just get twisted up like a piece of taffy. God help those that buy a Chinese car imported here.

Landwind Video 1

Landwind Video 2

What does the North American Free Trade Agreement have to do with China???

[post="17901"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Are you serious? Why do you think most large US companies are now based over there?

What does the North American Free Trade Agreement have to do with China???

[post="17901"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Ummm... :blink: I'll just pretend I did not hear that.

Now as far as this PassWind, No way in hell would that driver be alive after that crash. A 120mph airbag in the face from 2" away.... a broken neck would be the least of his problems. *shudders*

Anyway as far as this thing crumpling up like a tin can I'm sure a few would say it's better than my 1968 Camaro or some other American classic car that distributes the forces to the passanger while barely denting. :rolleyes:

I should be dead after my accident. Head on into a guardrail in a 1968 Camaro wiht the front bumper & monunting hardware removed, no air bag and no crumpple zones, it's a mystery how I didn't get decapitated. (in all fairness I had a four point harness on and was sitting in a aluminum race seat)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v219/Six...8aftercrash.jpg



But outside of my random blabbering let's just say Chinese Automakers are in the dark ages.

Edited September 21, 200520 yr by Sixty8panther

Looks like a human would just ooze into the various crevices of that thing. You may as well jump right of a cliff with no parachute.

If you're going to take the time to rip off a companies styling, you might as well rip off their crumple zones as well. Those videos are scary. If these things do get sold in the U.S. they are going ot have lawsuits out the ass, and not only from Isuzu.

Are you serious? Why do you think most large US companies are now based over there?

[post="17977"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

I'm all but 100% certain US companies would still be based in China even without NAFTA, CAFTA, AUSTA, etc.

Edit: spelling

Edited September 21, 200520 yr by sciguy_0504

JiangLing apparently does have some business agreements with Isuzu. So it does appear this vehicle is in fact a 15 year old Rodeo, and it's not surprising that its crash test results would be more appropriate for a vehicle of that era.

heh. I don't think that airbag would do much good.

The way the passenger compartment collapsed reminds me of the crash test photos I've seen of the Blazers and previous GM minivans (Venture, TransPort, etc)... \

Hey, it's comparable to a 2005 Astro...

http://www.iihs.org/ratings/image.ashx?rh=66&id=1
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/image.ashx?rh=66&id=2

... and as Brian pointed out, to the Rodeo it was based on. Looks on par with the 95-04 Blazer, too:

http://www.iihs.org/ratings/image.ashx?rh=54&id=1
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/image.ashx?rh=54&id=2

Hey, it's comparable to a 2005 Astro...
.. and as Brian pointed out, to the Rodeo it was based on. Looks on par with the 95-04 Blazer, too:

Yes, GM has built plenty of unsafe shitboxes as well....

Still though, the Landwind is extremely pathetic.

GM's 'shitboxes' aren't the point. Ford, BMW, and Honda have all had similar 'shitboxes' at various stages, but they improved with time.

Landwind is fielded as a brand-new entry from JiangLing. That speaks volumes.

Sixty8panther... that sucks! Is your car still banged up like that or did you get it fixed? Where are you located?

I'm on the New Hampshire -- Masachusetts border.... close to Nashua NH.

I fixed 90% of the damage but the car is still sans grill. It's a driver and that's my biggest priority is to enjoy it for now. As soon as I buy a house wihtt he G/F it's getting the ground up restoration. Here's what the car looks like now.

Are you in N.E.?

Edited September 22, 200520 yr by Sixty8panther

GM's 'shitboxes' aren't the point. Ford, BMW, and Honda have all had similar 'shitboxes' at various stages, but they improved with time.

Landwind is fielded as a brand-new entry from JiangLing. That speaks volumes.

Yes, but GM still built the Astro up until this year...that speaks volumes. A 2005 vehicle that performs that poorly in a crash test is unacceptable, regardless of the manufacturer...

I'm on the New Hampshire -- Masachusetts border.... close to Nashua NH.

I fixed 90% of the damage but the car is still sans grill. It's a driver and that's my biggest priority is to enjoy it for now. As soon as I buy a house wihtt he G/F it's getting the ground up restoration. Here's what the car looks like now.

Are you in N.E.?

No, I'm on the MI/IN border. I am currently restoring a '68 also. Had some extra parts that could've helped you out with fixing the damage but it looks like you got it back to good! Good luck with the project. Am just starting mine.