In Euro NCAP they are clear how Chinese cars are

The Chinese cars They have gone from anecdote to something common on European roads. Great manufacturers such as Byd or Saic have own fleets for bring their cars from Chinabut also They are expanding to manufacture on European land. Some brands are opening concessionaires and, although the market grows, there may be a runrun about whether the Chinese car is As sure as the European, Japanese or South Korean. And who is clear about the answer is the agency that gives the security score in Europe. EURO NCAP. Skepticism. My partner Alberto confesses that one of the Questions that make friends and family more When addressing the purchase of a Chinese car it has to do with security. There is still a certain skepticism due to that belief that the ‘cheap made in China’ translates into some quality. With the new policies promoted by the Government of Xi Jinping, in fact, it seeks consolidate the country as a reference in the Technologies of the futureand precisely they have a lot to say in the battery technology or the electric car. Obligations. Beyond that technological leadership, several things must be taken into account. Chinese companies have been forming joint ventures with more consolidated companies. Geely, for example, has an idyll with Renault. SAIC with Volkswagenso both They share technologies and objectives in areas such as the development of the electric car. In addition to this mutual learning, obligations by regulations come into play. Since 2022, The European Union forces that all new cars approved on continental soil must have a Safety elements series such as emergency braking, the fatigue detector, notices on excess speed, lane outlet or rear camera with cross traffic alert, among other measures. And this is also forced Chinese manufacturers. In fact, due to pedestrian danger, The Tesla Cybertruck is neither expected in Europe. Euro ncap is clear. And apart from the regulations, we have an agency as EURO NCAP. This is the person in charge of performing tests to measure active and liabilities security elements and, when there is a maximum score, it is something that manufacturers use as a marketing element. Surely you have often heard that “Five Euro NCAP stars” Well, the funny thing is that, as we read in Reutersthe organism considers that Chinese cars not only have nothing to envy to Westerners, but are superior to certain models. Matthew Avery is Euro Ncap’s Director of Strategic Development and has been blunt about it: “Forget about what you can think about that the Chinese mean lower quality or worse safety performance. The quality of vehicles models of Chinese brands is better than that of others.”

All those touch screens in the Tesla and the rest of the cars sound very well. Euro NCAP thinks otherwise

Euro NCAP has been notifying for about a year: cars that bet absolutely everything to the touch screens will have problems to obtain the coveted five stars of its qualification system. For some manufacturers Only the screens mattera Simply terrible decision that allows them to save costs by adding additional steps that could be made by pressing a simple button. The date on which Euro NCAP will begin to penalize this philosophy is closer, but we have bad news: it will not change practically anything. Euro Ncap pressures. We are more or less agree with the methodologies used by its system, Euro NCAP is the most relevant body in Europe to evaluate the safety of new vehicles. After performing its collision tests and various trials, it is evaluated by a system of stars (up to five) how sure is the car. The system takes into account adult protection systems, children, impact on pedestrians and security assists (ADAS) among others and, from 2026, an additional factor enters into the equation: how simple it is to perform basic car functions. Specifically, these five. Selection of flashes Button activation Warning Ring Activate the windshield wiper Activation of Ecall emergency button If it is not possible to activate each and every one of these functions quickly by means of a physical button, the car will not get the five stars. Why (almost) nothing will change. Virtually all current cars have physical controls for the actions described. One of the few that do not include manufacturers such as Tesla is that of Ecall emergency activation, which currently can only be activated using the upper bar of its touch screen. If the American company wants five stars in the cars that you sell in Europe, you will have to adopt this button in physical shape, or in the steering wheel or location they consider. It is a movement that may seem lower, but introducing a new button in a vehicle, or not in the steering wheel, it is important additional costs for the thousands of units that will have to be manufactured in 2026. Whatever it may be, in the face of the end user, everything will remain practically the same: beyond these mandatory standards, everything will continue to be governed by a screen. An important brake for industry. Although this new Euro NCAP standard will not be especially relevant, the organism’s pressures to the industry to keep the physical buttons are more than necessary. Volkswagen already had among his plans to end them to replace them with screenswith the consequent criticism of your buyers that made them consider backing. Other manufacturers, such as BMW, fantasize with systems starring screens and with hardly any presence of physical buttons. This Euro NCAP requirement will put a certain brake on your plans. And it is that European legislation itself does not expressly prevent cars from dispensing with physical buttons. The Vehicle Homologation Regulation (EU 2019/2144) It forces manufacturers to meet certain standards in terms of usability and ergonomics of controls to avoid distractions, but does not specify that these standards pass through physical buttons. The obsession with the screens. On car manufacturers absolutely obsessed with converting their vehicles into tablets with wheels, We have been talking for five years. Already in 2019, manufacturers like Mazda They jumped against reducing the number of screens to avoid distractions and accidents, while the rest advanced towards more and more complex interfaces. Since then, it is more difficult to find a car that is not full of screens than one with a cleaner and more analog interior. The cars They are increasingly expensive and The trend is that they will continue to rise. Interestingly, consumers are every time more unhappy with new purchases. One of the main reasons has to do with the software. The manufacturers have found in it A new way of earning moneybut the bulk of users does not want to go beyond compatibility with Android Auto and Apple Carplay. The road of the industry by 2026, date on which Euro NCAP will begin to penalize cars without tactile controls, aims to be similar to the current one. Many screens, a lot of software (with subscription options and other payment services), and little presence of physical controls. Image | Tesla In Xataka | What screen with Android Auto for your car buy. Purchase guide with better recommendations and tips

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