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NZ-set small EV bashed by safety assessor
Richard Bosselman
October 17, 2025
Euro NCAP’s issues with the Dongfeng Box included noting how numerous body welds failed in a standard frontal impact test.
CONCERN has been raised by Europe’s crash testing authority, a sister organisation to our own, about a small budget Dongfeng electric car signed up for impending New Zealand release.
The Chinese make’s Box five-foot hatchback was deemed by Euro NCAP to have performed poorly after "multiple" of the welds holding its body together failed in a frontal collision.
The body sustained such damage the doors did not as designed after a front crash.
Regardless, the sister organisation to Australasian NCAP - which in the past has adopted Euro NCAP results rather than replicate the same tests - gave the Box three stars out of five for overall safety.
That’s the same score now held by one of the country’s most popular small cars, the Suzuki Swift. ANCAP originally gave the Swift a damning one star assessment, but then improved that rating recently.
A big issue for the Box was multiple spot-welds failed during the offset front impact test.
That increased the risk of deformation around the cabin and reducing protection for occupants, the safety organisation reports.
The test, which is performed at 50kmh and with a 50 percent overlap against a deformable barrier on an oncoming 1400kg sled, also traveling at 50kmh, is designed to replicate the kind of collision responsible for the most road deaths and serious injuries.
A compromised body structure wasn’t the only poor aspect. Insufficient pressure in the steering wheel airbag meant the driver’s head still managed to make contact with the wheel.
Euro NCAP additionally criticised state-owned Dongfeng for not providing any kind of safety aid to prevent front seat passengers from bashing into each other in a side impact collision.
Summing up, the testers awarded the Box just 69 percent for adult occupant protection and 67 percent for vulnerable road user protection.
“The Dongfeng Box doesn’t match the safety performance of other small EVs tested by Euro NCAP,” the organisation said in an overnight statement.
“It was a concern that the spot welds were compromised during our tests and could be further compromised in higher-speed accidents.
“Such a failure must be addressed to match competitor vehicles in what’s a fast-growing part of the EV market,” it added.
Dongfeng is a China state-owned make that is set to be represented here soon by Auto Distributors, a multi-brand organisation run by the Armstrong Group.
The Box is set to be joined by two larger car, the Vigo and 007.
Box is the first car built on a new underpinning, the Dongfeng Quantum Architecture S3 platform.
It promises 329-429 kilometres of range and 30 minutes for fast charging.
The 007 is a large sedan, aerodynamic and coupe-like in shape (drag coefficient down to 0.209 Cd), just under five metres long. The flagship runs a dual motor set-up creating 375kW and 730Nm, with 0 -100kmh in 3.8 seconds.
Vigo is a 4.3m long compact SUV with a 51.5kWh battery.
Armstrong Group has yet to indicate a firm launch date, but a pre-Xmas arrival seems likely.
Auto Distributors hosted media yesterday for an event to highlight new model from another Chinese brand it has, Leapmotor. Dongfeng was not discussed.