G-Wiz hits back at Top Gear crash tests with safer car

GoinGreen, the UK distributor of the G-Wiz electric car, has for the first time revealed the damage done to its business by the BBC's Top Gear magazine and the controversial crash tests it undertook on the car earlier this year.

The 40mph crash test commissioned by the Top Gear magazine and carried out to the standards of the voluntary EuroNCAP standard concluded that such a collision could "cause serious or life-threatening injuries to the vehicle occupants".

Keith Johnston, managing director of GoinGreen, said that a lack of balanced reporting following the crash test caused sales of the popular electric vehicle to fall by two-thirds in the weeks that followed. He added that sales have since bounced back but admitted that it remains "hard to quantify how it affected our growth curve".

"The context surrounding the crash tests was entirely missing from the reporting," Johnston argued, adding that many reports of the Top Gear magazine's crash tests failed to explain that the G-Wiz complied with existing EU and UK regulations, or that 60 per cent of conventional car models have no published NCAP test results, suggesting that manufacturers have either not undertaken the voluntary tests or have not fared well enough to publish the results.

EuroNCAP crash testing is done to a standard over and above that required by law for ordinary cars – legal compliance tests are carried out at 35mph, rather than EuroNCAP’s 40mph. The G-Wiz does not have to pass even the 35mph test because it is not legally classed as a car by virtue of its light weight. Motorcycles with sidecars are similarly exempt.

"The actual safety record of the G-Wiz is extraordinary, but that just wasn't evident in the reporting," Johnston said. "There has not been a single reported serious injury in over 20 million customer miles in the G-Wiz, clocked up over the eight years the car has been in production internationally… If you look at the actual safety record it paints a very different story."

Reva, the India-based manufacturer behind the G-Wiz, is now attempting to undo the damage done by the crash tests with the new 2008 G-Wiz i model, which is due for release early next year and boasts enhanced safety features developed in conjunction with Lotus Engineering as well as improved performance.

Johnston admited the new safety features – which include improved impact protection, a strengthened space frame and a collapsible steering column – were at least partly influenced by the fall out from the Top Gear tests and the need to reassure customers about the car's safety.

"Safety is one of the attributes you look for in any vehicle and based on the actual record of the G-Wiz it is a safe vehicle," he said. "Now we've added to that with extra safety features."

Johnston added that the car had passed independent crash tests undertaken at an "appropriate city speed" of 25mph. These impact tests were carried out by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), and the G-Wiz’s passenger cell appears to have remained intact after a front-end collision with a rigid concrete wall.

The 2008 G-Wiz i also boasts enhanced performance in the form of 48-mile range when fully charged, improved acceleration and a top speed of 50mph.

Johnston said that the improvements should make the vehicle a viable option for growing numbers of business customers. "This is the third generation of the G-Wiz and we have a vehicle now capable of appealing to some fleet customers," he said. "The previous DC drive did not have the range for business customers and was primarily a point-to-point commuter vehicle, but for the new model there is enough power and range for it to be considered as a city fleet vehicle for short frequent journeys."

He added that the car is particularly likely to appeal to hotels and estate agents, who tend to take numerous short journeys from a single base, as well as larger corporations looking to ensure fleet purchasing decisions fall into line with their wider CSR policies.