The video went viral on the Internet, causing passions. The response of the concerned car manufacturer is also interesting.
In neighboring Poland, they are dealing with a quite interesting situation, which is widely discussed, especially on social networks. During the filming of the next episode of the “Moto Kombat” show, journalist Lukasz Bąk ripped off the steering wheel of the Omoda 5. The video quickly went viral and caused quite a stir. Probably also due to the fact that it was a Chinese-made SUV.
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The Chinese company Chery, which owns the brands Omoda and Jaecoo, commented on the case. Their statement said: “Omoda & Jaecoo appreciate the role of independent media and the importance of motoring journalism, especially when testing and evaluating vehicles in various operating conditions.”
Her statement also implies that everything is fine – the steering wheel should fall off in such a situation.
What the manufacturer claims
“The Omoda 5’s steering column design is designed with driver safety in mind and meets the ECE R12 standard, which protects the driver from hitting the steering wheel in a crash. The video shows the release of the adjustment lock, followed by multiple violent forward, backward, up and down movements, using the strength of the tester’s muscles and the inertia of the upper part of the steering column, including the steering wheel and airbag,” the company said.
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In the next part of the statement, the Chinese company presents its calculations. The entire steering column weighs approximately 9 kg, the steering wheel 1.3 kg and the airbag 1 kg. The tester made sudden movements that can be estimated at about a third of the weight of the column (3 kg) together with the steering wheel (1 kg) and the airbag (1.3 kg), which amounts to about 5.5 kg. The top mounts are intentionally designed to loosen if the force applied to the post exceeds their strength. If a strong man uses all the strength of his hands together with the kinetic energy of 5.5 kg of mass, the safety will react correctly and release.
Omoda 5
Source: Chery
According to the company, the security mechanism worked exactly as it was designed. When the threshold force was exceeded, the light alloy upper fastening, integrated by plastic injection, gave way and enabled the movement of the entire pillar. In cars produced by the Chery group (including Omoda 5), such solutions increase driver safety. Thanks to the deliberately flexible restraints, rescuers do not have to use heavy tools to free a driver caught in a pole, increasing the chance of survival.
Omoda 5 is a compact SUV with a length of 4373 mm, a width of 1824 mm, a height of 1588 mm and a wheelbase of 2610 mm. The trunk has a volume of 442 liters, after folding the seats it increases to 1149 liters. In the gasoline version with a 1.6 TDGT turbo engine (output 147 hp), DCT7 automatic transmission and front-wheel drive, the SUV accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 10.1 seconds.
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