malaysian vehicle assessment programme proton – · pdf filemalaysian vehicle assessment...

Malaysian Institute of Road Safety ResearchLot 125-135, Jalan TKS 1, Taman Kajang Sentral43000 Kajang, Selangor Darul EhsanTel +603 8924 9200 Fax + 603 8733 2005Website www.miros.gov.my Email [email protected]

MER 09/2009MIROS Evaluation Report

Malaysian Vehicle Assessment ProgrammePROTON – A 4-Star MPV in Safety

Aqbal Hafeez AriffinZulhaidi Mohd JawiYahaya AhmadMohd Syazwan SolahFazli Yusof

Designed by : Publications Unit, MIROS

HICOM Industrial Estate, Batu Tiga, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

i

Malaysian Vehicle Assessment ProgrammePROTON EXORA – A 4-star MPV in Safety



MER 09/2009

For citation purposes

Aqbal Hafeez A, Zulhaidi M J, Yahaya A, Mohd Syazwan S & Fazli Y (2009), Malaysian Vehicle Assessment Programme PROTON EZORA – A 4-Star MPV in Safety, MER 09/2009, Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research.

DISCLAIMERThe information contained in the report is restricted and/or privileged information and is intended only for authorized screening and/or confidential presentation of MIROS’s discretion. This report should not be disseminated, modified, copied/plagiarized or action taken in reliance upon it, unless permitted by MIROS. None of the materials provided in this report may be used, reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including recording or the use of any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from MIROS. Any conclusion and opinions in this report may be subject to reevaluation in the event of any forthcoming additional information or investigations. MIROS declares that all the inquiries which MIROS believes are necessary and appropriate and that nothing significance which MIROS regards as relevant have, to MIROS knowledge, been withheld from the report.

MIROS © 2009 All Rights Reserved

Published by:

Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS)Lot 125-135, Jalan TKS 1, Taman Kajang Sentral,43000 Kajang, Selangor Darul Ehsan.

Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

Malaysian vehicle assessment programme Proton Exora : a 4-star MPV in safety : HICOM Industrial Estate, Batu Tiga, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia / Aqbal Hafeez Ariffin ... [et al.]. (MIROS evaluation report) ISBN 978-983-44643-6-3 1. Automobiles--Crashworthiness. I. Aqbal Hafeez Ariffin. II. Siri. 629.231

Printed by: Publications Unit, MIROS

Typeface : Book AntiquaSize : 11 pt / 15 pt

iii


Contents

List of Table v

List of Figure vii

List of Plates vii

List of Abbreviation and Acronyms ix

Acknowledgements x

Abstract xi

1. Introduction 1

2. Objective 2

3. Assessment Background 2

4. Assessment Criteria and Evaluation Approach 5

5. PROTON EXORA at a Glance 8

6. Implementation of MyVAP 11

7. Result Discussion 14

8. Evaluation of the Assessment Scheme 15

9. Conclusion 17

References 18

Appendix 19

Page

v


List of Tables

Tables

Table 4-1 Point distribution for evaluated Pillars 11

Table 4-2 MIROS safety recognition according to range of scores 11

Table 4-3 QS-9000 elements 12

Table 5-1 Technical specifications and vehicle features 15

Table A-1 Haddon Matrix for 2006-2010 Road Safety Plan

(Radin Umar, 2007) 24

Page

vi


List of Figures

Figures

Figure 4-1 Phases of a crash event 9

Figure 4-2 MyVAP assessment items 10

Figure 5-1 EXORA body structure – High Tensile Steel Cage (red),

Side Impact Bars (green) and Hydro Forming

Sub-Frame (orange) 14

Figure 6-1 Assessment team organization chart 16

Figure 7-1 4-star rated PROTON EXORA 20

Page

vii


List of Plates

Plates

Plate 3-1 Example of EuroNCAP crash test involving

Hyundai i20 (Source: euroncap.com) 8

Plate 5-1 The first entirely “Malaysian Made” MPV – PROTON

EXORA 13

Plate 6-1 Discussion between MIROS and PROTON

representatives on Passive Safety 17

Plate 6-2 Test report evaluation process 17

Plate 6-3 PROTON’s R&D-HTP General Manager,

YM Tengku Azizan Tengku Ahmad, signing

the Audit Result letter 18

Page

viii


List of Abbreviations and Acronyms

ABS Anti-lock Braking SystemADR Australian Design RulesBCM Body Control ModuleCAMPRO Cam Profile (PROTON’s Engine)CBU Complete Built UnitCKD Complete Knock DownCOP Conformity of ProductionCRASE Crash Safety Engineering Unit of MIROSDOHC Double Overhead CamEBD Electronic Braking DistributionMIROS Malaysian Institute of Road Safety ResearchMOT Ministry of TransportMPV Multi-Purpose VehicleMyVAP Malaysian Vehicle Assessment ProgrammeNCAP New Car Assessment Programme (e.g. US-NCAP for USA, Euro NCAP for Europe, ANCAP for Australia)ODB Offset Deformable BarrierPERODUA Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua BerhadPROTON Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Sdn. Bhd.RMK-9 Rancangan Malaysia Ke-9 (9th Malaysian Plan)JKJR Road Safety DepartmentJPJ Road Transport Department SOP Standard Operating ProcedureSUV Sports Utility VehicleTSP Technical Service ProviderUNECE United Nations Economic Commission for EuropeVKT Vehicle-Kilometre TravelledVSB Vehicle Safety and Biomechanics Research Centre of MIROSVTA Vehicle Type Approval

ix


Acknowledgements

This assessment would not have been possible without the considerable support and cooperation, as well as enthusiasm of many talented people, who have played a part, directly or indirectly, throughout the event. The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to the following individuals.

Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Sdn. Bhd. (PROTON)

• Dato’ Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh Chairman• Dato’ Haji Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir Managing Director• Tuan Ir. Haji Tajul Zahari Abu Bakar Director of Engineering Division• YM Tengku Azizan Tengku Ahmad General Manager, R&D & HTP, Engineering Division• PROTON Engineering (R&D) and Production & Quality Divisions

Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS)• Prof. Dr. Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah Director General• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Wong Shaw Voon Director of VSB cum Audit Advisor• Khairil Anwar Abu Kassim CRASE Unit Head cum Lead Auditor• PROTON EXORA Safety Assessment Team Members Crash Safety Engineering Unit• Publications and Knowledge Management Unit

xi


Abstract

Malaysian Vehicle Assesment Programme (MyVAP) was developed by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) to improve vehicle safety level in Malaysia. This assesment is conducted to increase awareness among local road user regarding vehicle safety, particularly in acquiring roadworthy and crashworthy vehicles. Currently, MyVAp is conducted according to non-destructive methods as opposed to similar programme in several other countries whereby destructive tests are performed to evaluate vehicle crashworthiness. Hence, with the cooperation of PROTON, MyVAP performed its first assessment on PROTON's latest model, PROTON EXORA. This report will explore the overall assessment process in terms of its relevancy and motivation, the process involved throughoout the programme, and finally, discussion of this first assessment and future enhancement. It also functions as a reference for general public with regard to this assessment and the results for PROTON EXORA. MyVAP for PROTON EXORA has successfully achieved its main objective of evaluating safety performance of PROTON EXORA which covered: (1) safety of product used (compliance to the United Nations of Economic Commission (UNECE) regulations;) (2) passive safety level of the tested EXORA: (3) provision of active safety system; and (4) conformity of production. The assesment was an excelent initiative between MIROS and PROTON towards educating motoring consumers on the importance of safety. Improvements of road safety in Malaysia particulary in vehicle safety segment will always be uncertain without such initiative. The final result of assessment proves that PROTON EXPRA deserves to be awarded the title of "MIROS Safety Companion" for achieving 4-star rating out of a total of five stars.

1


1. Introduction

MyVAP, the acronym for Malaysian Vehicle Assessment Programme, was created by MIROS to improve vehicle safety situation level in Malaysia. This assessment is conducted to increase awareness among local road users with regard to vehicle safety, specifically in acquiring roadworthy and crashworthy vehicles. MyVAP at this moment is conducted according to non-destructive methods as opposed to similar programme in many other countries whereby several destructive crash tests are performed to evaluate vehicle crashworthiness.

There is no doubt that vehicle regulations have strong influence on safety. However, new introduction in the policy to improve vehicle safety will definitely involve complex technical, social and financial considerations. Conclusive consumer information will be the best solution to drive vehicle safety at the moment as this will also motivate vehicle manufacturers to improve their product thus creates healthy competition. MIROS believes this effort will be able to pave the way for new vehicle safety era in Malaysia, which at the same time, provide our consumers with value-for-money products.

PROTON, one of the national car makers, is the first to offer its brand new MPV to be evaluated and thus has enabled MyVAP to be launched. The MPV, PROTON EXORA, is also claimed to be the first MPV ever fully-developed in the country. The assessment was conducted in a two-day programme on 15 and 16 June 2009, about two months after EXORA was officially launched and made available in the local market. The auditing team consisted of a team of engineers from MIROS, namely members of the Crash Safety Engineering Unit (CRASE). PROTON as the audited party was represented by its management personnel and engineers.

This report explains the entire process including the motivation behind the assessment, structure of the MyVAP scheme, assessment result as well as recommendations to strengthen the scheme as this was the first time it was ever applied in Malaysia. It is hoped that MyVAP will become a successful tool to enhance our road safety agenda that could match with other accomplishment by Malaysia in many other fields.

th th

2


2. Objective

The main objective of this report is to recapitulate and evaluate the historic event in the Malaysian automotive industry as a team of engineers from MIROS in June 2009 had assessed the safety level of PROTON EXORA by means of the MyVAP non-destructive assessment scheme. The whole report will scrutinize the overall assessment in terms of its relevancy and motivation, the process and at the end, an overall discussion of this first assessment and future enhancement. This report also functions as a reference for the general public regarding this assessment and the results for PROTON EXORA.

3. Assessment Background

The Ministry of Transport (MOT) published “The Road Safety Plan 2006 – 2010” (Road Safety Plan or the plan) in 2006 as the foundation to achieve several targets in the period of the 9 Malaysian Plan (RMK-9). The plan was prepared and is monitored by the Road Safety Department (JKJR) – departmentunder the Ministry of Transport. The plan has identified nine strategies that included education, engineering and enforcement as the intervention basis. The plan’s accomplishments at the end of the RMK-9 period will be gauged by the achievements in these three internationally recognised safety indices:

1. 2 deaths per 10 000 vehicles;2. 10 deaths per 100 000 population; and3. 10 deaths per 1 billion vehicle-kilometre travelled (VKT). The establishment of the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) in 2007 exemplifies the commitment of the government to enhance road safety in the country, namely via evidence-based research. One of the institute’s responsibilities, among others, is to realize the soon-to-end Road Safety Plan. Radin Umar (2007), who was the first MIROS Director-General, had summarised the intervention elements from the plan in a Haddon matrix (Table A-1 in Appendix A). The matrix, which is divided into road, vehicle and human intervention basis, also presents road accident in a chronological point of view – pre-, during and post-crash.

Vehicle safety has been identified as one of the niche areas in vehicle’s pre-accident intervention, which corresponds to the plan’s Strategy No. 3 – Enhance and Complement Engineering Initiatives. MIROS, through one of its research wings, the Vehicle Safety and Biomechanics Research Centre (VSB), has initiated a preliminary effort to realise this specific objective. In addition, the groundwork and execution of this specific cluster’s objectives has been carried out by one of VSB’s units – the Crash Safety Engineering Unit or CRASE.

th

3


The status quo of Malaysia’s vehicle regulations is yet to reach satisfactory level, especially if compared to the situation in developed countries. The weak points can be identified in many of the related regulations, including Vehicle Type Approval (VTA) that has a lot of gaps to be improved. Malaysia has recently been accepted as one of signatory members of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) for the transport sector, where vehicle technical requirements are discussed for harmonization purposes. However, the adoption process of more than a hundred regulations into Malaysia’s domestic legislation still has a long way to go. Nevertheless, the progression in the legal requirements at the moment, which for the most part is conducted by the brand new Automotive Engineering Division of Road Transport Department (JPJ), is indicating a positive development.

MIROS, a close partner to JPJ in the subject matter, also has another plan. The initiative, which for the time being goes by the name of Malaysian Vehicle Safety Assessment Programme (MyVAP), is a complement to the prevailing vehicle regulations and acts as a “booster” towards the provision of safe vehicles in the local market. MyVAP basically is adopting the gist of the New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) – a car crashworthiness rating scheme that was first introduced in the United States (US NCAP) and later on, put into practice in other regions such as Australia (ANCAP) and Europe (Euro NCAP). NCAP in these countries is primarily dedicated to educating the consumers, whereby it helps them in choosing the best car with regards to vehicle crashworthiness. This is because NCAP requirements will always be superseded by existing legislations that inevitably have to compromise with trade and economic barriers. It is hoped that MyVAP will be at par with NCAP in the future, but a down to earth approach that suits the domestic automotive atmosphere will be the utmost consideration in MyVAP.

How NCAP is implemented and how will MyVAP be different from NCAP? NCAP assessment to a certain extent is fairly “robust” especially for vehicle manufacturers since the results of destructive crash tests, which assess vehicle crashworthiness in several collision configurations, will be made public. The test programme basically consists of frontal impact, side and pole impact, and pedestrian protection. However, the test procedures and configurations vary between NCAPs (Plate 3-1). The test results will eventually be presented in star-rating scheme e.g. 5 stars will be the best possible score in Euro NCAP. This perhaps would be handy for customers to interpret the test results as the technical terms might not be easy to understand.

The current scheme of MyVAP, on the other hand, will not involve destructive tests at all. Instead, it will only assess the process of development and production of a specific car model, for which the details can be found in the following chapters. Several in-house workshops had been conducted in 2008 involving representatives from the national car manufacturers – PROTON

4


and PERODUA. The process eventually produced the anticipated outcome – a matrix of non-destructive assessment elements. MyVAP assessment also uses a star rating scheme but the implementation as of today differs from approach by NCAP. MyVAP at the moment is an option for car manufacturers, assemblers (CKD) as well as traders (CBU) to obtain safety recognition from MIROS for their specific model.

Can MyVAP benefit the customers as what NCAP has achieved today? In reality, NCAP cannot escape from criticisms due to certain limitations in its test procedures and results. NCAP, whose original intention is to educate consumers, is also an excellent selling point in car advertising which benefits car manufacturers. Another argument is that NCAP by no means could reflect the many possibilities for a road accident to occur. The different categories according to vehicle mass and body shape made it impossible to compare the outcome of a collision between two vehicles of different categories with similar rating e.g. the outcome of a small family car versus a large SUV with both are rated 5-stars in a frontal collision. Furthermore, there are also fears that cars will be built with stronger frontal structure that in turn will cause more damages and injuries in minor collision (SWOV, 2007).

Nevertheless, NCAP by virtue of its stricter requirements has inspired manufacturers to build safer cars either to sustain their reputation or at the same time gaining good impression by customers. As a result, NCAP has increased the population of high quality vehicles on the road. A study by Lie and Tingvall (2002) had found that cars rated three to four stars are 30% safer in car-to-car collision compared to two-star or non-NCAP rated cars. And even though NCAP has not yet proven as the best tool to gauge the overall vehicle safety, there are lot of improvement can be seen at least to car manufacturers to provide quality products that worth buying. In short, MyVAP can be considered as taking the baby steps towards the same motivation as NCAP in educating consumers as well as complementing the domestic vehicle legislations.

Plate 3-1 Example of Euro NCAP crash test involving Hyundai i20

(Source: http://www.euroncap.com/results/hyundai/

i20/359.aspx Accessed July 2009)

5


4. Assessment Criteria and Evaluation Approach

A road accident can be divided into three phases: pre-, in-, and post-crash. In order for a vehicle to be declared as “safe”, it needs to provide the features that are capable of assisting in collision avoidance during the pre-crash phase, mitigating the injury during in-crash phase and providing easy access to vehicle during the post-crash phase (Figure 4-1).

Safety regulations are drafted to ensure that safety measures will be highly considered during vehicle development and mass production. It is very important to develop safer vehicles that provide “self protection” to vehicle occupants since human deficiencies while operating vehicle can lead to catastrophic incidents. A good driver can also make mistakes while driving, and thus we need a vehicle which can assist driving to avoid accidents from happening and also provide considerable protection to all occupants during an accident. MyVAP assessment is, thus, based on four key pillars with regards to vehicle safety – UNECE Regulations, Passive Safety, Active Safety and Conformity of Production (Figure 4-2).

Compliance to the latest amendment in relation UNECE regulations will get the best possible score for each item; either in terms of products (component) or vehicle systems. However, other standards and regulations will also be considered to receive mark according to the pre-determined score definition. The process of evaluating this pillar includes verifying authentic certificates, test reports and related documents. There are 46 regulations that have been identified at the end of the process related to the development of PROTON EXORA.

The level of passive safety relies on secondary data provided from the crash centre where the PROTON EXORA had been tested in a full-scale crash test. It is also to be noted that the elements in the previous pillar (UNECE regulation) also cover passive safety. However, the assessment of passive safety here is much more "strict" as its frontal and side impact test results are based on Euro Ncap Protocol 4. Pasive safety evaluations is based on the following items – high speed crash (frontal and side), child restraint, pedestrian safety and rollover.

Figure 4-1 Phases of a crash event (Source: Vera Lauer)

Active Safety

Normal Driving

Information-/Warning Systems

AssistanceSystems

Pre-crash,reversibleProtectionSystems

Assistant, reversible ProtectionAssistant, WarningAssistant

Crash Systems for minimal

crash Safety Systems after crash

Irreversible Safety Systems

(soft level)

Irreversible Protection Rescue

Irreversible Safety Systems

(hard level)

Crash

Passive Safety

Occupant Protection RescueCollision Avoidance & Collision Mitigation

PRE-SAFE

Crash Probability

6


Provision of more accident avoidance mechanisms, which can assist driving or “take over” vehicle control in certain situations, is hoped to become a main consideration by car makers to be fitted as “standard” rather than to be “priced” unnecessarily. Active safety is divided into three groups – Braking, Handling and Stability; Warning, Visibility and Conspicuity; and Others (declaration base). As of now, the assessment can be considered as “straightforward” based on the existence and functionality of declared active safety features. Still, for this very first MyVAP assessment, PROTON engineers had invited some of MIROS auditors to personally experience the functionality of the vehicle active safety features (hard braking, ABS effects etc.) at its proving ground.

Conformity of Production (COP) assesses the production of PROTON EXORA in its assembly line whereby this pillar is in fact supporting the evidence of conforming to UNECE regulations. According to UNECE regulations requirement, conformity of production is compulsory and non-compliance will result in withdrawal of the granted approval. Therefore, MIROS views COP as an important criteria in producing safe vehicles.

All pillars will contribute 1 point each, except for passive safety with has 2 points (Table 4-1), which makes total assessment score of 5 points. In order to determine the number of stars, the actual score will be matched with the score range as explained in Table 4-2. In addition, any model which is able to score 3 or 4 stars

Figure 4-2 MyVAP assessment items

UNECERegulations

Passive Safety

ActiveSafety

Conformity of

Production

MyVAP

7


MyVAP also considers QS-9000 as one of the assessment basis. QS-9000 is the name given to the Quality System Requirements of the automotive industry which was developed by Chrysler, Ford, General Motors and major truck manufacturers and issued in late 1994. The goal for Quality System Requirements QS-9000 is the development of fundamental quality systems that provide for continuous improvement, emphasize defect prevention and reduce variation. In order to obtain QS-9000 certification, a company must first prepare its staff for the challenge that awaits them. Each employee will have responsibilities under QS-9000. QS-9000 based elements are provided in Table 4-3. Based on these elements, the MIROS team set-up its own audit guidelines and specifications that were divided into two main parts – assessment on documents and on-site audit.

The method of assessing the compliance of the safety product and system according to UNECE regulations or other standards and regulations involves reviewing relevant documents. This will include engaging authentic certificates, test reports and necessary documents for each regulation applied. During the session, the audit team will work in several distinct groups to review and validate all necessary documents that would be provided by the audited party. The working groups would be facilitated by the personnel whom are responsible for the documents and present explanations in respect to the assessment needed.

Table 4-1 Point distribution for evaluated Pillars

Table 4-2 MIROS safety recognition according to range of scores

1234

Point1.02.01.01.05.0

PillarCompliance to UNECE RegulationsPassive Safety PerformanceActive Safety EquipmentConformity of ProductionTOTAL

Stars

Points (in range)4.50 - 5.003.75 - 4.493.00 - 3.742.00 - 2.991.25 - 1.99

will be recognised as “MIROS Safety Companion” car while models which are rated 5-star according to the assessment scheme will be recognised as ”MIROS Safety Champion”.

8


Table 4-3 QS-9000 elements

On-site assessment audits the production capability and performance of a factory to ensure that only products that pass the required inspections and tests can be installed in a complete vehicle. During the session, the audit team will visit the production factory to verify the implementation. There are several safety items that had been identified such as steering wheel, air bag and others. However, only some of them will be chosen on the assessment day. Basically, the on-site assessment is to validate the documents provided earlier in the process with the production document to ensure the production line complies with the latest amendments in the design. In addition to that, the audit team will also assess the standard operation procedure (SOP), system verification, product traceability and conformity of production (COP).

5. PROTON EXORA at a Glance

PROTON EXORA is the first locally developed and manufactured MPV in Malaysia (Plate 5-1), and is available as of today in two variants – 1.6 litre automatic high-line and a 1.6 litre automatic medium-line. It can fit seven adults (up to 188cm height) and for more room, the second and third rows can be arranged and folded in six different ways, including completely flat. It is equipped with intelligent electronic Body Control Module (BCM), where all basic or standard body functions of a car are controlled by one integrated control module, hence, offering value added features to customers.

Management ResponsibilityQuality SystemContract ReviewDesign ControlDocument and Data ControlPurchasingControl of Customer Owned ProductsProduct Identification and TraceabilityProcess ControlInspection and Testing

Inspection, measuring and test equipmentInspection and test statusNonconforming productCorrective and preventive actionHandling, storage, packaging, preservation and deliveryControl of quality recordsInternal quality auditsTrainingServicingStatistical techniques

QS-9000 Elements

9


PROTON EXORA is powered by the 1.6 CAMPRO CPS engine with 125 hp (or 92kW at 6500 rpm), 150Nm (at 4500 rpm) torque, and 88.0bhp/ton (at 1422kg) power over weight ratio. The body structure is designed to meet various impact tests which comply with internationally recognised standards. Some of the tests complied to are: ECE R94 equivalent to ADR73/00 for 40% Offset Deformable Barrier (ODB), ECE R95 equivalent to ADR72/00 for dynamic side impact, ADR69/00 for full frontal and 2003/102/ECE-Phase II for pedestrian protection. Its body strength is optimised through extensive application of High Tensile Steel Cage, side impact bars on all doors for side impact protection and Hydro Forming Sub-frame Technology for better load impact distribution (Figure 5-1). PROTON EXORA is also equipped with dual front SRS airbags, and pyrotechnic seatbelts with pretensioners which come standard for all models. The vehicle is fitted with Antilock Braking System (ABS) and Electronic Braking Force Distribution (EBD), and for safety purposes, the hazard light will be automatically activated during sudden braking at speed surpassing 96km/h. Table 5-1 summarises technical specifications and features of PROTON EXORA.

Figure 5-1 The first entirely “Malaysian Made” MPV – PROTON EXORA

Figure 5-1 EXORA body structure – High Tensile Steel Cage (red), Side Impact Bars (green) and Hydro Forming Sub-Frame (orange)

10


Figure 5-1 Technical specifications and vehicle features

* All information and graphic presentations in this chapter are provided by PROTON.

Engine

Model CamPro CPS 4 Cylinder, DOCH16V

Maximum Output (hp[kW]/rpm 125hp [93 kW]/6,500 rpm

Maximum Torque (Nm/rpm) 150 Nm / 4,500 rpm

Fuel Tank Capacity (I) 55

Performance Maximum Speed (km/h) 165

Acceleration 0-100km/h (sec) 15.5

ChassisPower Steering Hydraulic

Suspension - Front/Rear MacPherson Strut / Torsion Beam

Brake - Front/Rear Ventilated Disc / Drum

Tyres & Rims 195/65 R15, Alloy

Dimensions &

weight

Overall Lenght x Width x Height (mm) 4592 x 1809 x 1691

Wheelbase (mm) 2730

Kerb Weight 1422 1442

Safety &

security

Dual Aorbags witg zPre-tensioner Seat Belt √ √

Anti-Lock Braking System with EBD + Back Up EBD (BEBD)

√ √

Immobilizer System √ √

Central Door Lock Alarm System & Keyless Remote Entry

√ √

Reverse Sennsors √ √

Other Feature

Radio with CD, MP3 Player, WMA, Blutooth √ √

Front & Rear Power Window √ √

Electric-Remote Sida Window √ √

Driver's seat Height Adjuster √ √

Steering Wheel with Audio Switches √ √

Seat & Door Trim Finishing Fabric Leather

Front Fog Lamps - √

Rear Spoiler - √

Rear Seat Armrest - √

Cruise Control - √

Navigation System - √

DVD/LCD Monitor with SD/MMC Slot & USB Port

- √

Tinted Glass - √

1.6 AT (M-LINE) 1.6 AT (H-LINE)

11


6. Implementation of MyVAP

During the two-day safety assessment period, MIROS was represented by a team of auditors from the CRASE Unit of Vehicle Safety and Biomechanics Research Centre (VSB). The team, which was supervised by an Audit Advisor and Lead Auditor, consisted of four groups with two assigned auditors for each, as well as an assistant auditor to support the whole team. The groups were responsible to assess all four pillars, namely: Passive Safety, Active Safety, UNECE Regulations’ Compliance and Production Confirmation. Figure 6-1 depicts the organisation chart of the team.

Day one started with an opening meeting between MIROS and PROTON where the overall assessment procedures were presented by the Lead Auditor to PROTON representatives and the tentative schedule for the event was later discussed and finalised. During the meeting, groups of four consisting of assigned members from both parties were formed to assess the EXORA safety performance based on the first three pillars, which exclude Conformity of Production. The three pillars that were assessed are Passive Safety (including UNECE Regulations for Passive Safety) (Plate 6-1), Active Safety (including UNECE Regulations for Braking and Running Gears) and the remaining 46 UNECE Regulations (Lighting and Signalling, General Safety, Pollution, and

Figure 6-1 Assessment team organization chart

Director General of MIROSProf Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah

Director of VSB cum Audit AdvisorAssoc Prof Dr Wong Shaw Voon

Lead AuditorKhairil Anwar Abu Kassim

Passive SafetyYahaya Ahmad (GL)

Noor Faradila Paiman

Active SafetyZulhaidi Mohd Jawi (GL)

Mohd Hafzi Md Isa

Production ConfirmationAzhar Hamzah (GL)

Mohd Syazwan Solah

Assistant AuditorFazli Yusof

UNECE Regulations' Compliance

Mohd Khairudin Rahman (GL)Aqbal Hafeez Ariffin

* GL = Group Leader

12


Figure 6-1 Discussion between MIROS and PROTON representatives on

Passive Safety

Figure 6-2 Test report on the evaluation process

Noise). During this assessment, related documents such as certificates and test reports were presented by PROTON’s engineers and were then evaluated by the MIROS’s auditors (Plate 6-2). The first day ended with conclusion remarks on first day assessment from leaders of both parties.

13


Figure 6-3 PROTON’s R&D-HTP General Manager, YM Tengku Azizan

Tengku Ahmad signing the Audit Result letter

Reconfirmation of the first day assessment was carried out between MIROS and PROTON on the second day. Subsequent to the reconfirmation, the Lead Auditor finalised assessment results for all three pillars. Later, all related documents, especially technical drawings obtained from the assessment of compliance to UNECE regulations, were then transferred to the Production Confirmation group to assess the level of Conformity of Production (COP) at the production line. Aside from comparing production items to match the technical drawings provided by manufacturers, the Standard of Procedures (SOP) was also assessed the actual operation of the operators at the production line. Data gathered at the production line was then brought into MIROS group discussion for result calculation. Subsequently, summary of the findings were presented to PROTON for further discussion to finalize result for each pillars. This was followed by assessment conclusion and presentation of overall final results to PROTON by the Lead Auditor. The event ended with a concluding remarks and signing of Audit Result Letter by Audit Advisor and PROTON’s representative on behalf of the Director of Engineering Division (Plate 6-3).

14


7. Result Discussion

PROTON EXORA successfully scored more than half of the dedicated point for each pillar. On the assessment of the compliance of 46 UNECE regulations, Exora complied with almost all of the regulations. The product and the system do meet the regulation with official certification from approved Technical Service Provider (TSP) and complied with the latest amendments of the regulation. Apart from the UNECE regulations’ compliance assessment, both passive and active safety assessments also showed good results. Based on the injury data of the crash regulation tests provided by PROTON, EXORA performed well on all categories defined, namely high speed crash which involved frontal and side impacts, child restraint, pedestrian and rollover. Among all the categories, EXORA scored excellently on the side impact (45% better than regulation requirement on structural loading and 35% better than regulation on structural deformation) and the child restraint evaluation. On the active safety assessment which was divided into three major areas, EXORA scored reasonably good results with all systems declared in the brochures proven workable by demonstration at the proving ground. Last but not least, the conformity of production assessment shows fair result in which all the products assessed conformed to the latest official development and based on the observation at the production line it was noticed that handling and assembly were according to Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). Overall, PROTON EXORA scored in the 4-star range, which also enabled this model to be recognised as “MIROS Safety Companion” (Figure 7-1).

Figure 7-1 4-star rated PROTON EXORA

15


8. Evaluation of the Assessment Scheme

As mentioned earlier, PROTON EXORA Safety Assessment is the first attempt by MIROS to evaluate vehicles in Malaysia, especially new models in the market, with the main intention of educating consumers on the subject of vehicle safety. Both sides (PROTON and MIROS) reaped significant benefits from the assessment exercise.

For PROTON, they are definitely being acknowledged for their effort not only in developing the first “Malaysian Made” MPV but also in providing quality product with regards to vehicle safety. From the sharing session and assessment results explanation, PROTON received some valuable inputs in the subject matter for future considerations. For the MIROS side, the audit team also learnt some new things from this exercise. Even though it was the first assessment, the team had achieved the main objective of the assessment to rate PROTON EXORA. The team also acquired a better overall understanding of how vehicles are developed from the documentation phase till the last process in the production line. It was indeed a great exposure and valuable experience for the MIROS team.

Despite the fact that this assessment has finally achieved its objectives, there are several gaps that need to be fulfilled and improved in order to strengthen the overall assessment scheme:

i. The current audit checklist and its effectiveness need to be reviewed in oder to cater for all specific vehicle segments. For example, certain UNECE regulations are defined as a system rather than individual product or component, and certain regulations also will not be applicable with regard to the uniqueness of vehicle built or design. In the example of PROTON EXORA, which is categorized as a MPV, it uses standard tire as the spare unit and therefore UNECE R64 is not applicable.

ii. All relevant regulations in other regions that relate to automotive sector need to be also reviewed such as EC (European Commission), EEC (European Economic Community), ADR (Australia Design Rules) and others, to benchmark and verify the similarity of the content. This can resolve conflicts involving compliance with several regulations in developing a vehicle model as well as to provide flexibility in the case of imported vehicles. Nevertheless, compliance to UNECE regulation package will be the most relevant in MyVAP scheme as Malaysia is a signatory member of UNECE WP29.

16


iii. The current assessment scheme basically adopted only some features from the QS-9000 elements, which are more on documentation and on- site production view. Therefore, the adoption of all QS-9000 elements that are relevantly associated to the automotive industry should be considered, namely in producing vehicles.

iv. As mentioned earlier, provision of active safety features by manufacturers in their vehicles should be looked as “self-motivation” to supply them as “standard fit” rather than for certain price in model variants (usually higher end variants). Technology in all areas, be it electric appliances or communication handhelds, will for some reasons be depreciated in terms of market value. As this also applies to vehicle technologies, there is no reason to be rather “late” in making long- existing safety technologies embedded in today’s new models. The current evaluation item in active safety pillar is fairly lenient and it is expected to be more comprehensive in the future to suit the progression in vehicle’s safety-assist technologies.

v. Last but not least, the destructive test method as executed in NCAP should be the main aim in MyVAP in the future. This cannot be done in MyVAP at the moment due to non-availability of test centre and funding restriction. As such, current MyVAP assessment accepts the test results done by other technical service providers (tests conducted by manufacturer during the development process).

17


9. Conclusion

The MyVAP programme for PROTON EXORA has successfully achieved its main objective of evaluating safety performance of PROTON EXORA which covered safety of the product used (compliance to UNECE regulations), passive and active safety level of tested EXORA and conformity of production. On another aspect, the assessment was an excellent start between MIROS and PROTON towards educating motoring consumers on the importance of safety. Without such initiative, improvements of road safety in Malaysia especially in vehicle safety segment will always be uncertain.

The final result of the assessment shows that PROTON EXORA deserves to achieve 4-star rating out of a total of five stars, and be awarded the title of “MIROS Safety Companion”. This significant achievement proves that local manufacturer is also capable of producing vehicles with excellent safety features which complies with internationally accepted standards, as compared to other internationally well-known manufacturers. Nevertheless, there are still improvements to be made by PROTON on certain aspect as mentioned in separate detailed report published exclusively for PROTON’s reference. With the success of the PROTON EXORA Safety Assessment, it is hoped that more vehicle manufacturers will come and voluntarily participate in the evaluation in order to support MyVAP towards safer vehicle – for the consumers as well as the nation. The willingness of PROTON to participate in the assessment is greatly appreciated and the excellent achievement is something that all Malaysians can be proud of.

18


References

Chrysler, Ford & General Motors (1998), Quality system requirements QS-9000 Chrysler Corporation, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors Corporation.

Chrysler, Ford & General Motors (1998), Internal auditing for QS-9000 module 3 – the audit system, Chrysler Corporation, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors Corporation.

Lie, A & Tingvall, C (2002), How do Euro NCAP results correlate with real- life injury risks? A paired comparison study of car-to-car crashes., Traffic Injury Prevention 3:288–293.

Radin Umar, R S 2007. Integrated Approach to Road Safety in Malaysia. Proceedings of the 7th Malaysian Road Conference 2007, Kuala Lumpur.

Road Safety Department (2006), Road Safety Plan of Malaysia 2006 – 2010, Road Safety Department, Ministry of Transport, Putrajaya, Malaysia.

SWOV (2007), SWOV fact sheet – Euro NCAP, a safety instrument, SWOV, Leidschendam, the Netherlands, Accessed on January 2009 from http:// www.swov.nl/rapport/Factsheets.

Vera Lauer-Daimler Chrysler AG, The enabling technology for the Introduction of integrated safety systems, EASIS 6 Framework Programme (undated).

th

19


Figure A-1 Haddon Matrix for 2006 – 2010 Road Safety Plan (Radin Umar, 2007)

Human

Vehicle

Environment

Pre-Crash

• Road Safety Education• Driver Training Program and Grading of Driving Institutes• Automated Enforcement System• Publicity Campaign• Community Based Programs (VEM, Helmets, RSE, Belts)

• Type Approval/C&U (e.g. WP29)• NCAP Ratings• Rear Seatbelts

• Road Safety Audit• Blackspot Treatment• Motorcycle Lanes

Crash

• Compliance and Cor rect Use of Active Safety Features

• Passive Safety System• Crash Compatibility

• Clear Zones• Barrier Systems• Crash Cushion

Post-Crash

• Skills of Paramedics and First Respondents

• Ease of Evacuation• Evacuation Tools

• Easy Access by First Re spondent Teams• Trauma Centre

Appendix A

Malaysian Institute of Road Safety ResearchLot 125-135, Jalan TKS 1, Taman Kajang Sentral43000 Kajang, Selangor Darul EhsanTel +603 8924 9200 Fax + 603 8733 2005Website www.miros.gov.my Email [email protected]

MER 09/2009MIROS Evaluation Report



Designed by : Publications Unit, MIROS

HICOM Industrial Estate, Batu Tiga, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

malaysian vehicle assessment programme proton – · pdf filemalaysian vehicle assessment...

Documents