AIMS: ANCAP to host its first stand

THE Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) will participate for the first time at a motor show, confirming its appearance at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney from October 18.

The central exhibit on the ANCAP stand will be a smashed Hyundai i45 sedan that was put through the 64km/h frontal offset crash test, which simulates hitting another car of the same mass travelling at the same speed.

The i45 on display scored the maximum five-star rating in the test, which saw the driver’s side of the car slammed into a crushable barrier.

ANCAP staff will be on hand to answer questions, show visitors how to check the safety rating of their current or prospective car, and outline the future of its testing – which, as we have reported, will follow its European equivalent with an increased focus on active safety technology.

Staff will also encourage buyers to “accept nothing less” than five-star safety on their next car purchase, given the increasing number of new models attaining the maximum rating.

This year’s AIMS will attract fewer brands than last year – with major absentees including Ferrari, Maserati, Audi, BMW, Renault and Volvo – but will host at least two world debuts, from Lexus and Mazda.