The Geely Starray EM-i became the first car to demonstrate ‘beyond-compliance’ safety at France’s Euro NCAP-accredited UTAC HQ.
Geely Auto set a benchmark for global automotive safety this month as its Starray EM-i (a.k.a Starship 7 or EX5 EM-i) completed a rigorous dual-sided serial extreme crash test at France’s Euro NCAP-accredited UTAC headquarters. The results of the crash test are said to have been beyond what was required for compliance, validating the structural integrity of this Geely-engineered PHEV and its underpinning GEA chassis. Oh, and by the way, if you feel like the car looks very familiar, that’s because the Geely Starray EM-i is actually the counterpart of the Proton e.MAS 7 PHEV.
The Starray EM-i and e.MAS 7 PHEV share basically all engineering underpinnings save for some software and specification differences, plus a right hand drive conversion for our market. The chassis, known as GMA by Proton, has been confirmed to be virtually identical to the GEA platform. This means Malaysian drivers have immediate access to world-class, premium safety engineering for an approachable price segment of just RM109,800 to RM129,800.
Replicating Real-World Multi-Vehicle Chain Collisions
Geely Auto was the sole carmaker selected to conduct a live safety demonstration during the high-level “Automotive Safety Tech Globalization & Innovation in the Smart Driving Era” summit, co-hosted by the China Automotive Engineering Research Institute Co., Ltd. (CAERI) and UTAC. As Europe’s first-ever side-impact test combined with a far-side rigid pole intrusion challenge, this assessment goes far beyond the current standard Euro NCAP protocols. By compounding the severity of the forces involved, the test was explicitly designed to replicate real-world multi-vehicle chain collisions. During the live demonstration, a moving deformable barrier violently struck the side of the vehicle at 60 km/h. This initial impact pushed the vehicle sideways into a rigid pole positioned on the opposite side, generating a high-severity secondary impact comparable to a standalone side pole crash.
Beyond-Compliance Results Under Extreme Physics
This multi-stage collision placed extreme demands on the hybrid’s physical structure, its millisecond-level airbag deployment algorithms, and its New Energy Vehicle (NEV) battery system protection.
The technical results confirmed an absolute success across all tracking parameters:
- Structural Integrity: The Starray EM-i maintained an entirely intact passenger cell after both high-severity impacts.
- Occupant Restraints: The onboard restraint systems and curtain airbags deployed with pinpoint precision.
- Emergency Systems: The digital e-CALL emergency rescue system triggered instantly to alert first responders, while the electronic doors unlocked automatically to facilitate a rapid exit.
Propelled by this uncompromising quality control, Geely has secured top ratings in 80 global authoritative safety assessments, with various models clinching prestigious five-star ratings across C-NCAP, Euro NCAP, ANCAP, ASEAN NCAP, and C-IASI. Furthermore, Geely has opened up its critical safety patents to the public—including its unique one-touch window-breaking technology and underbody battery protection systems—while making its Safety Center resources accessible to industry peers. Because this very same advanced safety DNA underpins the Proton e.MAS 7 PHEV in Malaysia, local families can take to the highways with uncompromised peace of mind.
