Euro NCAP testing under fire
Relevance of safety body’s current test regime questioned by Renault Group boss
De Meo: “I want common sense”
Dacias have recently had low Euro NCAP safety test scores
Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo has called for a debate on whether Euro NCAP safety tests are still fit for purpose.
Speaking at the Change Now conference in Paris, he said: “We need to keep an eye on what is really bringing solutions to real-world cases without trying to make cars Christmas trees with technology on them that is absolutely useless.
“We are getting to the limit of suppliers trying to impose their own ideas rather than doing what is good for customers.”
His comments follow a spate of recent disappointing scores for some of the Renault Group’s vehicles in tests. These include a zero-star result for the Renault Zoe, one-star results for the Dacia Jogger and Dacia Spring and a two-star result for the Dacia Sandero, all largely but not exclusively as a result of poor ratings for automatic electronic safety systems, which help prevent potential accidents but have come in for criticism for adding cost to cars.