Copycat car’s crash test shock

It's the car you wouldn't want to be driving in an accident, if the shocking pictures in this week's mag are anything to go by.

The pictures show the Chery QQ, China's copycat Chevrolet Matiz, being put through its European crash test paces. And, as these chilling images illustrate, the impact on UK drivers could be fatal if the city car was imported here.

The vehicle looks as if it's managed a low or no-point score as it was independently tested for front and side impact using crash dummies. The pictures clearly reveal that the engine bay crumple zone has completely collapsed and the front wheel has been forced back into the footwell. As a result, the model's legs have been crushed.

It's not the first Chinese lookalike to fail Europe's stringent safety standards, either. In Issue 877, we reported how JiangLing's Landwind, a Vauxhall Frontera copy, scored zero in crash tests by ADAC, Germany's equivalent of the AA.

Both cars raise concerns over build quality on future MG Rover-badged models, which would be assembled by Chinese owner Nanjing and may be imported to the UK from the Far East.

A Chevrolet spokesman told us: "The QQ results are horrific. China clearly isn't ready to sell cars in Europe." After complaining about copyright infringement, Chevy's parent firm GM made an out-of-court settlement with Chery which agreed not to sell the QQ outside China.