2022.09.27 Hyundai Motor Group
Genesis GV60 Proves The Highest Level Of Safety With Euro NCAP 5 Stars
The Genesis GV60 has received the highest safety rating from Euro NCAP. Here are the keys to the outstanding safety certification from Europe’s leading vehicle safety rating agency.
Hyundai Motor Group’s dedicated electric vehicle has once again proved its superior safety; On September 7th, the Genesis GV60 obtained the highest safety rating of 5 stars in the Euro NCAP (European New Car Assessment Programme). As a result, Hyundai Motor Group was recognized as the automaker that makes the safest electric vehicles by Europe’s leading vehicle safety evaluation agency. The details and meaning of this evaluation are explained here.
Euro NCAP is a new car evaluation program evaluating the safety of new cars in the European market since 1997. In this program, motoring associations such as the German Drivers’ Club (ADAC) and European government agencies participated together to secure high objectivity, and it has a strong influence on global car consumers when purchasing a new car. For this reason, Euro NCAP is considered one of the world’s three largest vehicle safety evaluation agencies, along with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Euro NCAP has been trusted for having strict vehicle safety evaluation standards so that consumers can choose safe vehicles, and the standards are getting tougher day by day. For example, the agency has conducted harsh crash tests to measure the structural safety of vehicles and the injuries to occupants after an accident. However, since 2014, the agency has added collision avoidance technology and even broader safety standards.
Currently, Euro NCAP’s safety rating is based on the assessment in 4 areas: Adult Protection, Child Protection, Pedestrian Protection, and Safety Assist. After rating each item, it is converted into a five‒star rating overall. Here, GV60 obtained 34.1 points for adult protection, 43.0 points for child protection, 34.2 points for Pedestrian protection, and 14.1 points for Safety Assist, and obtained 5 stars, the highest grade, in the comprehensive evaluation, proving its excellent safety.
For reference, a model must secure 80% for Adult protection (38 points total), 80% for Child protection (49 points total), 60% for Pedestrian protection (54 points total), and 70% for Safety Assist (16 points total) to get 5 stars. But this is impossible unless the risk of injury to any critical body parts ‒ such as the head, neck, chest, and pelvis ‒ is low; many cars failed to meet the standards this year. This proves that although technological advances have improved overall vehicle safety, the Euro NCAP vehicle safety standards are still strict.
The GV60 scored particularly high in the front and side crash tests of the Euro NCAP assessment. This means that the occupant protection capacity is that high. In addition to maintaining a solid body structure even after a crash, a center‒side airbag implemented between the driver and front passenger seats was deployed in 0.03 seconds. It succeeded in effectively preventing the head‒on collision of first‒row occupants in a far‒side side‒impact crash test in which a car collides with a column at an angle of 75° at 32 km/h.
In addition, the GV60 has a small body, which reduces the risk of injury to child occupants who cannot be easily protected by seat belts and airbags. Considering the fact that small luxury SUVs are often used as family cars in Europe, the excellent child occupant safety of the GV60 may be an important factor that European consumers must take into account before purchasing a vehicle.
In addition, the GV60 scored high overall in the category of safety assistance systems with the help of various advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS); It received the highest score in the collision hazard warning evaluation for AEB Car To Car, assuming that the preceding vehicle brakes suddenly, a pedestrian in front (AEB Pedestrian), and a bicycle appearing (AEB Cyclist). The GV60’s superior performance, Forward Collision‒Avoidance Assist (FCA), minimized the risk of accidents in various tests.
As the GV60 demonstrated excellent safety in the Euro NCAP, Genesis was honored with the highest safety rating of 5 stars for all models, including the G70, G80, GV70, and GV80. For reference, In addition, IIHS’ safety evaluation, which is famous for conducting the world’s harshest crash tests, also gave the G70, GV70, G80, GV80, and G90 a ‘Top Safety Pick+ (TSP+),’ proving its excellent safety. These results given by the global safety evaluation agencies are expected to positively impact the brand image of Genesis, which joined the global auto market last year; It is clear that the safety of a vehicle acts as an important index for evaluating a luxury vehicle.
Hyundai Motor Group’s dedicated EVs, represented by the GV60, have already obtained the highest safety rating in Euro NCAP several times. In October of last year, Hyundai Motor’s IONIQ 5 and in May of this year, Kia EV6 received five stars each from Euro NCAP. And the GV60’s acquisition of five Euro NCAP stars again proved that all of Hyundai Motor Group’s dedicated electric vehicles had the highest level of safety performance.
All three models received almost equally excellent evaluations in the main Euro NCAP tests; All three models scored close to 90% on Adult Protection and 86‒87% on Child Protection. All three models also far exceeded the five‒star standard with scores of 63‒64% for Pedestrian Protection and 87‒88% for Safety Assist.
This excellent safety of Hyundai Motor Group’s exclusive electric vehicle is secured by E‒GMP (Electric‒Global Modular Platform), an EV‒dedicated platform. E‒GMP is characterized by an EV‒optimized structure and innovative safety design. It boasts the advantages of dedicated EVs, such as ample interior space and short overhangs brought by a nearly 3m‒long wheelbase, as well as a robust structure that protects occupants and batteries.
For example, the role of E‒GMP in a crash is clearly divided by body part; First, the front body is composed of a multi‒skeletal structure with enhanced connectivity to the front subframe and apron to effectively absorb collision energy. In addition, it is also equipped with an A‒pillar load distribution structure that widely distributes the collision energy in the event of a small overlap collision, a crossbar structure that connects the left and right sides of the engine room, and a front side member with increased cross‒section. The rear body is equipped with an anti‒deformation reinforcement structure that protects the drive motor and rear seat occupants and a deformation‒inducing structure that absorbs shock to prepare for rear‒end collision accidents.
Furthermore, in case of a strong collision, hot stamped members were expanded in front and around the battery to protect it, which is a key component. In addition, the inside of the side sill of the car body is reinforced with aluminum compression material to increase the robustness; In other words, E‒GMP was completed as a robust and safe EV‒dedicated platform by taking full advantage of electric vehicles that allow design freedom.
The Hyundai Motor Group is known to place the greatest emphasis on vehicle safety. The excellent evaluation given to the Genesis brand and Hyundai Motor Group’s dedicated EVs at this Euro NCAP is the fruit of Hyundai Motor Group’s commitment to making safe cars. Lawrence Hamilton, Managing Director for Genesis Motor Europe, commented: “We are delighted and proud that the GV60 has achieved a five‒star Euro NCAP rating. To be awarded this highest possible rating is a clear demonstration of our unwavering commitment to first‒class safety systems for customers.” He also added, “For Genesis to score a maximum five‒star rating not just with the GV60 but with all our other models, is testament to the expertise of our engineers and the wide‒ranging active and passive safety assistance technologies that Genesis offers.” Hyundai Motor Group plans to manufacture cars that not only show good performance in crash safety evaluations but also protect occupants more safely in actual accidents.
