Did Hongqi’s Philippine distributor just misrepresent the safety ratings of two of its vehicles, and in turn, take the Philippine motoring media on a ride? That might very well be the case as its two newest offerings—the E-H7 and E-HS7—did not seem to meet a 5-star Euro New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) safety rating.
According to a press release seeded by Hongqi Philippines, it said that “these models [E-H7 and E-HS7] add to Hongqi’s already stellar record for safety, with the E-HS9 also having previously received a 5-Star Rating from the same agency.”
The thing is, a quick search through the Euro NCAP’s official results don’t indicate if these vehicles were tested at all. In fact, the only two Hongqi models tested by Euro NCAP are the E-HS9, as mentioned in the press release, and the E-HS5. And this was AFTER searching the Euro NCAP three weeks since the press release was first seeded.
Digging deeper, neither were the E-H7 and E-HS7 tested in China’s homegrown C-NCAP (Chinese New Car Assessment Program). Only the HS3, H5, H9, HS5, and H5 were tested by the C-NCAP.
Now, that’s not to say that these vehicles aren’t safe. It’s very likely that both the E-H7 and E-HS7 were designed and engineered to meet both the C-NCAP and Euro NCAP 5-star rating requirements; it’s just that weren’t actually tested and rated.
The press release continues:
In addition to its 5-Star Rating, the E-H7 and E-HS7 have also passed Hongqi’s stringent internal testing requirements. To name a few, the vehicles were subjected to a water submersion test to determine how well it can resist flood damage as well as leakages, smoke, explosion, and fire tests which were all passed without incident. The testing regime includes simulated front and rear collisions at speeds of up to 100 km/h, followed by dedicated side-impact assessments. Finally, a compression test to simulate a massive object falling onto the vehicle, equivalent to nearly 7.8 tons on the panoramic glass roof, was performed.
Now, we gave Hongqi Philippines the chance to respond and to provide some of data sheet to back up their 5-star Euro NCAP safety claim before we would publish this press release. They didn’t get back to us after three weeks.
If this hasn’t curbed your enthusiasm for the Honqi E-HS7 and E-H7 one bit, you’d be pleased to know that the E-H7 is being sold in the Philippines with a starting price of P 2,280,000, while the E-HS7 starts at P 2,580,000. That, and the brand is now being endorsed by, of all people, Alice Dixson.
Hongqi currently runs showrooms in BGC, Alabang, Manila Bay, and Quezon City.
ehs-5 and ehs-9 both got 5 star rating, so it's not impossible if it's the same with 7
ReplyDeletehttps://www.euroncap.com/en/search-results/?query=hongqi&x=0&y=0
baka delay lang pag release sa website
That's why we asked for any sort of certification / data sheet from Hongqi Philippines. They didn't get back to us. We waited almost 3 weeks AFTER they seeded the press release to write this story.
DeleteIf they haven’t replied quickly therefore have mislead the public which now questions the credibility of Ms Alice Dixon. Question is she for the money and not credibility of the product she’s endorsing?
DeleteWho buys a car because of Alice Dixson?
DeleteAlice Dixon has insufficient credibility as far as I am concerned with regards to vehicle safety and durability. But she is still a hottie and everyone would be happy to buy a Honqi if she shows up during the acquisition and payment process.
ReplyDeleteIts quite ironic that hongqi in chinese means "redflag". Haha
ReplyDeleteWell, that is what their country's flag looks like. Doesn't hold the same meaning over there.
DeleteThere were a lot of media outlets in PH that has reported this and never asked reference from Hongqi PH. Thank you Car Guide for clarifying this.
ReplyDeleteIf the public and the media has been mislead (pending NCAP reference), and so was Alice Dixon.