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Chery not ripe for Victoria’s picking

By MELANIE CATANZARITI
THE first Chinese passenger car to be sold in NSW, the Chery J1 hatch, has been banned in Victoria due to its lack of safety features.

Chery has set a new price benchmark in Australia’s SUV sector by releasing its J11 city crossover at the low price of $19,990.

However, the car cannot be registered in Victoria because it does not feature electronic stability control (ESC), the potentially life-saving safety technology that became compulsory in that state for all passenger cars and SUVs this year.

Road Safety Officer of Griffith, NSW, Greg Balind, said Victoria was ahead of NSW in regard to road safety.
“The Victorian government mandated the fitting of stability control on all new cars from January 1, but the life-saving technology does not become compulsory in the rest of Australia until November,” he said.

“The RTA will allow the vehicle to be registered in NSW as the design of the car complies with all Australian Standards. As such, Victoria is more advanced in comparison to NSW on their commitment to road safety.”

The Chery also lacks side air bags, which are potentially life-saving in the event of a crash.

“Side airbags are important in vehicle safety for protecting occupants in side impact crashes such as at intersections or when a vehicle veers off the road and crashes side-on into an object like a pole or tree,” Mr Balind said.
Lauchlan McIntosh, Chairman of the independent crash-test body ANCAP, said yesterday (28 April 2011) that it was important that such cars be tested appropriately.

“We want to make sure that we provide the best assessments on car safety for the general public. The crash test for that particular car was conducted last week and we are keen to release the information,” he said.
The crash test assessment of the Chery is due to be released on 8 May.

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