With the arrival of the Geely Okavango midsize SUV to the Philippine market, there were concerns over how it could potentially eclipse the Azkarra. After all, the former offers a distinct advantage in terms of size and seating capacity.
The Azkarra passed C-NCAP crash safety tests
But fans and owners of the Geely Azkarra can rest easy because the compact crossover has another ace up its sleeve. The Azkarra has managed to score 58.2 points, equivalent to a perfect five stars at the China New Car Assessment Program (C-NCAP) in terms of crash safety.
Known as the Boyue in the Chinese market, the Azkarra outperformed the BMW Brilliance X1 sDrive 1.8Li and the Subaru XV 2.0i, which scored 56.6 and 50.9 points, respectively.
Philkotse's 2021 Geely Azkarra video review
Note that this isn’t the first time the Geely model aced impact safety tests. Prior to its launch in Malaysia and Brunei as the Proton X70, the Azkarra was subjected to crash assessment evaluation in 2018 under the ASEAN NCAP’s 2017-2020 testing protocol.
It garnered a score of 35.27 points, equivalent to five stars for adult occupant protection, beating the 2017 Honda CR-V (34.02 points) and the 2018 Toyota Rush (31.14 points).
Last October, it was the Geely Coolray’s turn to achieve a five-star crash safety rating in ASEAN NCAP tests as the Proton X50, outfitted with advanced driver assistance features such as lane-keeping assist and automatic emergency braking.
It's the second Geely model in the Philippines officially rated for crash safety
China has been actively working with other global vehicle safety assessment agencies, in an effort to boost its cachet in other automotive markets. This, as it continues to raise the bar for automotive safety standards with chassis engineering and driver-assist technologies.
“Since the very beginning, safety has always been Geely’s primary concern for its vehicles. We equate value with safety,” says Sojitz G Auto Philippines (SGAP) President Mikihisa Takayama.
“From research and development, pre-production, manufacturing, sale, and after-sales service, we keep in our minds the drivers, passengers, and pedestrians – their safety and peace of mind in every drive.”
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