Crash course

ANCAP’S STAR RATING SYSTEM HAS SPARKED CONTROVERSY AND CONFUSION, YET THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ORGANISATION’S ROLE REMAINS. WE SPEAK WITH ANCAP’S NEW CEO AND ITS CRITICS ABOUT METHODOLOGY AND RETAINING RELEVANCE

- DAMION SMY

IT PLAYS A crucial role in informing new car buyers. It can tarnish a new nameplate or cause an uptick in sales. It has also been embroiled in controversy and publicly criticised by automotive bodies and has seen manufacturers skip crash tests due to its high costs.

Yet what does the future hold for the Australasian New Car Assessment Program? It’s a question many are asking because, right now, it feels as though the partially tax-payer-funded, not-for-profit organisation is at a crossroads. Constantly evolving safety technology is moving the regulatory goal posts, ANCAP’s critics are growing louder than ever, and the organisation has a brand-new CEO in Carla Hoorweg who is determined to provide clarity in the complex world of vehicle safety.

To better understand ANCAP’s relevance, its challenges, and how it can better serve the consumer, this Wheels investigation spoke to all of the vital players: key bodies, the manufacturers, ANCAP itself, and of course, you, our readers via an online survey. So if safety is important to you – and given our survey’s results, we know it is – read on.

ANCAP: DO WE EVEN NEED IT?

ANCAP’S RAISON D’ETRE was apparent in its first crash tests back in 1993, which included locally made models such as Holden’s best-selling VP Commodore alongside imports from Mazda, Subaru and Volvo. The results found Australia was lagging badly behind, placing us at the same safety standards as US models had been 13 years earlier.