Following on the Automobile Association (AA) of South Africa recently questioning the validity of the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) approval of the updated payload (load-carrying) capacity of 475kg, inclusive of the driver, for the Jetour T1 and T2 passenger vehicles, the NRCS has consulted the AA and since implemented independent payload testing for the T1 and T2 range of Chery Group cars sold locally.
The concerns raised by the AA are threefold: the validity of the revised payload figures from an initial rating of 300kg to 475kg (with no mechanical upgrades), the fact that the rating applies to new and existing models on our roads, and that the NRCS grants these approvals based on global lab reports submitted by the automaker, as opposed to local and independent verification.
The weighbridge testing at the Clayville Testing Centre in Gauteng late last week revealed the T1 and T2 results below, both the AA and the NRCS were present at the testing:
- • T1 Odyssey 2.0TD – actual weight 1780kg – revised GVM 2308kg – payload variance 538kg
- • T1 PHEV 1.5T – actual weight 1940kg – revised GVM 2448kg – payload variance 508kg
- • T2 Odyssey 2.0T – actual weight 1880kg – revised GVM 2380kg – payload variance 500kg
- • T2 PHEV 1.5T – actual weight 2060kg – revised GVM 2538kg – payload variance 478kg
- • T2 Xplora 2.0T – actual weight 1900kg – revised GVM 2355kg – payload variance 455kg
The T2 Xplora performed below the updated 475kg payload rating claimed by Jetour, failing by 20kg. The AA has asked Jetour for clarity on this finding and reminds Xplora owners to bear this rating in mind when loading their vehicles accordingly.
Of greater concern is that the NRCS has confirmed that Jetour’s application for the revised payload rating for the T1 is still in the approval process, meaning that both new and existing T1 customers are still subject to the vehicle’s original homologated payload rating of 300kg. This contradicts what the automaker stated a few weeks back, claiming at the end of August that “based on the approval obtained from the NRCS, Jetour South Africa confirms that the approved payload capacity applicable to the relevant Jetour T1 and T2 model range is 475 kg, inclusive of the driver”.
An additional concern, as stated previously, stems from the lack of mechanical upgrades which accompany the revised payload submission. Jetour has stated that the “T2’s structural platform was engineered and validated, from the outset, to withstand technical masses considerably higher than its original 300kg global payload rating”. The AA maintains that increasing a payload by almost 200kg (58% increase) with no attention to structural integrity remains a safety concern for local owners.
The AA can also confirm that a solution for updated licencing of existing T1 and T2 cars, which reflect the revised GVM numbers, has not been reached with the road traffic authorities. This implies that existing owners are, by law, still subjected to the lower weighting listed on their licence discs in a roadblock or at a weighbridge. The AA insists that Jetour issue a recall notice to all affected customers, advising them of the legislative and law-enforcement risks associated with the licence disc weight-rating. Jetour owners currently face considerable recourse from traffic authorities in a roadblock should a concern be raised concerning weighting being applied to the vehicle. The end-of-year holiday season will only be a catalyst for this concern.
In closing, the AA once again reverts to the NRCS. As a Regulator for Compulsory Specifications, the AA firmly believes that relying on global lab test reports to ratify local approval processes is simply not good enough for the local consumer. If the NRCS could independently request testing in this instance for the T1 and T2, it serves as testament of what can and should be done as standard practice in the interest of the consumer. The AA once again calls for the NRCS and bodies like the CSIR to mandate for meaningful local homologation testing for all new entries into South Africa, as a matter of urgency.
We ask the South African motorist to prioritise safer mobility. The AA strives for the safety and wellbeing of the South African motorist, if you have a consumer issue that is in need of our urgent mediation, please email theaa@aasa.co.za – we are at your side in every step of your ongoing mobility journey.