This Chinese EV Tested In Germany Reminds Us Why Crash Safety Matters

ADAC presents us with the Suda SA01: avoid it as much as possible.

Gustavo Henrique Ruffo

By: Gustavo Henrique Ruffo

Jan 18, 2021 at 3:39pm ET

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You do not have to understand a word of German to fully comprehend this ADAC video’s message. It presents potential customers of the SUDA SA01 all reasons not to buy it. This affordable car from China would cost German customers only €10,390 after incentives – or €19,390 without them. That’s $12,546 under the current rate exchange. If you like bargains, the Suda SA01 is not one of them, rest assured.

Framed under a low-volume law in Germany, the Suda SA01 does not have to pass any crash tests to get certified. It is cheap because it does not present airbags, ESP, or ABS. If it at least had a decent structure, it would not be so frightening, as you will have the chance to confirm just by checking the footage.

This Chinese EV Tested In Germany Reminds Us Why Crash Safety Matters

After an offset crash, the SA01 was in terrible condition. It’s A-pillar on the left side deformed, and so did the door, which seems to open in the part that gets in touch with that body structure. Pay close attention to the technicians trying to retrieve the dummy before you continue reading.

If you did that, you must have seen it was necessary to get firefighters’ help to open the door. Inside, the steering column collapsed, and the dummy hit the steering wheel. If a real person drove the car, their chances of surviving would be minimal.

You must have probably seen at the beginning of the video that the car seems to drift. That would be cool if it were intentional. In fact, the professional driver at the wheel of the Suda SA01 was trying to keep it under control. He intended to evaluate how well this Chinese EV brakes and steers.