Proton cars are as safe as those from Volvo, the International Trade and Industry Ministry (MITI) has said. The ministry, in a written reply to Batu Gajah MP V. Sivakumar's question on whether Proton has what it takes to compete with international rivals, said Proton's newer models featured "advanced technology, high quality and performance".
MITI elaborated by saying that current Proton models like the Exora, Preve, Suprima S and Iriz feature safety tech such as ABS, EBD, Brake Assist and Electronic Stability Control, in addition to things like "whiplash protection headrests", six airbags and Isofix mounts for child seats. These features are typically offered in premium imported cars, the ministry pointed out.
"Some Proton models even offer features of added value in terms of comfort and safety of passengers," the ministry said in its statement, adding that these characteristics, when combined with "Lotus Ride and Handling", has helped elevate the standard of Proton vehicles.
It was highlighted that Proton's recent models scored the maximum five stars in the Australasian New Car Assessment Programme (ANCAP) and Asean NCAP crash tests. "This rating puts the Proton car models on par with other popular car makes like BMW, Volvo, Toyota and Honda," it added.
Is this true? Well, the Proton Preve and Suprima S did score five-star ANCAP ratings when they were tested in 2013. As for the Iriz, Proton has been a little inconsistent in its messaging - initially it claimed a five-star rating for Australia's ANCAP, but this was later revealed to actually be ASEAN NCAP.
When queried on this, Proton says the Iriz was developed with a five-star target and internal testing shows it can achieve five-stars, but as of today ANCAP test results for the Iriz have yet to be published on ANCAP's website.
For the latest round of tests, the above is the minimum results a car's crash test result must achieve to get a five-star rating. The results are based on a frontal offset test conducted at 64 km/h.
A green (good) rating must be achieved for the driver's head, body, thighs and feet. For the passenger, yellow (acceptable) for the chest is allowed. Yellow is allowed for the driver's lower legs and the passenger's right lower leg. Green basically means a high level of protection while yellow means only a slight chance of serious injury to these areas which are not likely to be life threatening.
You can check out the Preve and Suprima S's crash test results in our CarBase.my database.
Just take note that because an NCAP organisation raises the bar every now and then, a car that could get a five-star rating a few years ago might not not qualify for it now.
For example, EuroNCAP has required cars to be equipped with some form of Autonomous Emergency Braking to achieve a five-star rating since 2014. AEB systems can help avoid crashes or reduce their severity by warning the driver of an imminent crash and supporting his braking response, or even braking the car independently of the driver's action.
There are no Proton models that currently have AEB systems implemented, however we did see Proton testing out an LG ADAS stereo camera on its Proton Iriz, which would provide it with AEB functions.
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