Massive safety test of Chinese vehicles examined 36 cars from more than 20 brands and the results were alarming

A massive safety test of Chinese vehicles examined 36 cars from more than 20 brands and the results were alarming.

YouTuber Wheelsboy described this as the most comprehensive test of its kind that he’d ever seen.

The test looked at the driver assistance systems from Huawei, Tesla, Honda, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, and other competitors.

Taking place on a real highway, and making use of dummies, cones, and even fake pigs, this test produced some shocking results.

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Safety testing Chinese vehicles against other big brands

This safety test included a lot of big names – BYD, Xiaomi, Neo, Huawei, Tesla, Toyota, and Mercedes-Benz.

Many of the cars included were Chinese vehicles, but various other brands were represented.

It was conducted by Decar Studios on a closed 15km two-lane highway in China.

Six scenarios were played out to test each car’s driver assist safety systems.

Let’s just say, what was discovered was shocking.

The first one involved the car following behind a vehicle which decided to switch lanes last minute, revealing a dummy car parked in the middle of the road.

The idea was to test whether each car’s driver assist program would stop it in time or have it swerve into a busy neighboring lane.

86 percent of the cars tested failed, with some notable exceptions from the Tesla Model 3, Model X, Xpunk G6, Neo ES6, and Wayan Shan.

The following scenario involved a construction zone simulation, with signage, mannequins and blocked lanes.

Again, many cars failed with a few exceptions – the Model 3, ITO M7 and M9, Avatar 07 and 12, Lux Seed R7, and Denza Z9 GT.

On the third test, a left-lane was closed with partial blockage by a foam truck, and thus required that cars move over to the right lane.

This time around, the pass rate was noticeably better at 47 percent, but many cars still reportedly failed disastrously and crashed into the truck.

In the fourth scenario, the cars were required to avoid a sideways-stalled car, but only 27 percent of the cars passed.

“I don’t even know how to react to that,” Wheelsboy commented.

“This is getting ridiculous!”

The penultimate scenario tested how a car would react if another car illegally crossed multiple lanes to merge in front.

Only a small number of cars passed on this round too.

But how about the last scenario? Was this the redemption many of these cars needed?

At any rate, this one required the cars to avoid hitting a ‘wild pig’ that had run across the road.

For the avoidance of any doubt, no pigs were harmed in the making of this experiment; it was just a dummy.

“This may not seem that serious, but a real pig can weigh a lot and will absolutely obliterate the front of your car,” Wheelsboy said.

“Not to mention that nobody likes seeing a little piggy get hit by a car.”

Unfortunately for the fake pig, only one car passed this safety test – the Tesla Model X.

What conclusions can we draw from this safety test?

Whilst Wheelsboy applauded Decar for putting the time and effort into the tests, he said there was only so much we could take from it.

“Since each car was only tested once, we don’t know what results may have come from repeated attempts,” he said.

“Another thing to bear in mind is that these tests were done at speeds in excess of 74.5mph.

“These are legal speeds on Chinese highways, but automakers here in China only claim that their AEB systems will be effective up to 74.5mph.”

That obviously doesn’t get manufacturers totally off the hook, but it’s worth bearing in mind.

Ultimately, Tesla was the manufacturer that came out on top.

“When it comes to the performance of their safety systems, they have a strong edge over their competition,” Wheelsboy noted.

Of course, the primary thing here is driver safety.

But let’s face it, there’s also an element of competition.

No manufacturer is going to want their car to be outdone by a competing model.

This isn’t the first time cars have been put through some rigorous testing.

One man drove 1,000 miles in a Porsche 918 Spyder to see if he could reach Monaco.

In another test, a Maybach S580 was put up against a Chinese in a suspension test with unbelievable results.

For one guy, it was running a Ford Focus with no oil until it died, simply to see how long it’d last.

To see Wheelsboy break down what happened when these Chinese vehicles were put to the test, head over to his YouTube channel.

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