Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, China, Euro, Safety, Videos
BS Artists: Brilliance says BS6 crash test won't hurt European sales
Chinese automaker Brilliance has stated that its European distributor is confident it'll be able to sell the BS6 sedan on the continent despite its pathetic showing in Germany's ADAC crash tests. In case you missed it the first time around, the BS6 garnered a 1-star rating after collapsing in on itself during the frontal offset test and experiencing similarly poor results in the side-impact test as well. The car rapidly became the object of well-deserved ridicule as the story spread through the Internet. According to Reuters, Brilliance has accused the German media of "viciously playing up" the crash results, noting that it passed the basic safety test required for entry into the European market, as well as a voluntary NCAP test after that. How the BS6 passed any safety test at all is remarkable to us after seeing the ADAC videos. (Seriously, what does the basic safety test Brilliance mentions consist of? Throwing Nerf balls at the car? Subjecting it to a pillow fight?)
Follow the jump for more info, opinion and to view the crash test videos that supposedly won't hurt the car's saleability in the European market.
[Source: Reuters via Automotive News (sub req'd)]
Gallery: Brilliance BS6 ADAC Crash test
Brilliance can say what it wants, of course, but the idea that the ADAC test won't affect sales reeks of corporate denial. The fact of the matter is this: the ADAC regimen showed that the BS6 performs egregiously and dangerously poorly in the same crash tests many other cars are subjected to.
Brilliance says it now expects to score at least a 3-star rating within the next year, as it has entered into a collaborative relationship with ADAC to improve the car's safety. Talk is cheap, though. Until that 3-star result actually happens, we see no reason why anyone in the European market would waste their money and risk their well-being by buying one of these cars. There are plenty of other choices in Europe, and just about every single one is going to be better than the Brilliance BS6 as currently constructed.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
testa di cazzo 4:13PM (6/28/2007)
these chinese are ridiculous. japan and korea are still having a hard time breaking into the european market after 40 and 20 years, respectively. what makes the chinese think they'll have any sales at all with this car that collapses on itself when crashing...
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Stuart 5:44PM (6/28/2007)
Just wondering what the BS stands forin the name BS6. I'm guessing its some sort of math which stands for BULL-S**T x 6
It really says something where all bloggers (with their egos) for once actually agree on something together and rightly so.
Irrepective of who makes a car, in this day and age we as customers expect at the bare minimum to have a 95% chance of servival in a 40mph crash. Any company who doesn't want to comply should be made illegal to sell any type of product until they are able to meet standards.
Jim P. 6:19PM (6/28/2007)
BS could stand for Blood Splatter~
"When your family's safety is of no concern, that's BRILLANCE!!"
or
"It's not RESILIENT~ it's BRILLIANCE!!"
Could be their new tag lines!
mdm-adph 9:40AM (6/29/2007)
"what makes the chinese think they'll have any sales at all with this car that collapses on itself when crashing"
How about *PILES AND PILES OF MONEY*
FLR 4:13PM (6/28/2007)
I wouldn't drive that car if it were given to me and Brilliance paid for gas and tolls!!!
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1337 4:13PM (6/28/2007)
Well, if the 97-03 Ford F-150 was one of America's top selling vehicles, it is possible to sell cars with awful crash tests. If Brilliance markets the BS-mobile properly, I am sorry to say that these will be all over the streets of Europe--probably in many pieces.
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testa di cazzo 4:23PM (6/28/2007)
I believe that the F150 didn't have great crash tests, but i'm pretty sure that the car didn't crumble onto itself, crushing the passengers in the process...
1337 4:26PM (6/28/2007)
Actually, it did. It wasn't quite as bad as this, but the F-150 was enough to certainly kill you. Bad pun...compared to the F-150, the BS is overkill.
Nick 5:18PM (6/28/2007)
Difference being with the F150 comparison, is that Ford is a rather established marque in America, as is the F150 model, and there are people dedicated enough to buy it without making a second thought. The same can not be said for a newcomer carrying the stigma of being an unheard of -Chinese- car, and even with a 5-star rating, it would more than likely still have a hard time garnering a first glance from buyers, let alone them dropping thousands of dollars on it.
vdk 5:51PM (6/28/2007)
I don't know how many Europeans buy non-EU made cars. Compared to the US, the Japanese automakers have very poor sales in Europe. And as an American will buy a Ford because it's American, an Italian would buy an Alfa, a Brit a Vauxhall, a French a Peugeot, a German a VW and so on. There's no room for another brand in Europe, they already have (too) many.
1337 7:04PM (6/28/2007)
Nick,
I agree that the F-150 sales would decrease if it was not such an iconic vehicle. However, as with most iconic vehicles, it became an icon through good marketing--and lots of it. If the European media is flogged with BS ads, Europeans are likely to buy lots of BSs.
vdk,
The same has been said about the Japanese and the Koreans in both the American and European markets. If the Chinese want to break into either--or both--of these markets, they can, so long as they do enough cost cutting and marketing. Judging by the crash test, Brilliance never met a cost they didn't want to cut. If they don't cut their marketing budget, they're in.
seoultrain 3:12AM (6/29/2007)
about the marketing issue..
is there many chinese companies that market their products well, or even prominently? From my admittedly narrow POV, they tend not to spend so much money on advertising.
I have a great chinese mp3/video player called the Meizu m6 (look it up). It's the nicest media player i've ever come in contact with. it's a 4GB video player for $90, and unlike a lot of things made in china, it's built incredibly well. If more people knew about it, they could be the greatest competitor to the ipod. (they still might just by word of mouth)
So if Brilliance doesn't have quality, reputation, or brand-awareness, where will the sales come from?
calebe 7:13AM (6/29/2007)
You think the F150 was bad. Look at the European crash tests of the GM mini van. Sold here in the states as the Chevy Venture and its twins. It was way worse than this. Still, if the Chinese are going to sell cars today, they must have safety.
1337 10:01AM (6/29/2007)
seoultrain,
You're absolutely right--Chinese companies often break into a market by copying someone else's product, leeching off of their marketing, and undercutting their price. If Brilliance uses a more Japanese (i.e. tons of marketing) business model, they may be in luck.
Calebe,
One could certainly do worse than the F-150. However, a 40 mph impact in an F-150 will kill you...what's the BS going to do, kill you twice? I mean, if the F-150 crushes you, the Astro tears you apart, the Jiangling Landwind (aka Isuzu Rodeo) decapitates you, and the BS destroys all physical record of your existence.
I have not seen the European Venture/Montana crash test, but I have seen the IIHS Astro/Safari test. The Astro has the structural rigidity of an overripe mango.
Viv 4:15PM (6/28/2007)
Any idiot who purchases this junk needs to loose his privilege of driving.
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1337 4:22PM (6/28/2007)
Watching people buy this thing is watching natural selection in its prime.
Barney 5:09PM (6/28/2007)
"Any idiot who purchases this junk "
Anyone who sells this crap should be put in jail. Not everyone who buys a car is aware of the crash ratings. People trust that it is safe and especially today. There is no government that should allow the liability.
mdm-adph 9:42AM (6/29/2007)
Oh, they probably will, when their legs are crushed to bloody pulp.
Ian 4:15PM (6/28/2007)
My German is really, really rusty but I'm prety sure the test guy is, in a very understaded manner, saying something like: "I'd surrender to the French before buying this car. It is that bad." (I just made that up.)
However this bears repeating (credit to another poster):
"In Communist China zones crumple YOU!"
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Chris 4:19PM (6/28/2007)
Why dont they just put a Stake sticking out of the steering wheel to go through your head instead of an airbag, I wouldn't want to live after being in a wreck in that thing. At least with the stake I would never know what happened.
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