Brilliance BS6, in China sold as Zhonghua Zunchi (Chinese: 中华尊驰), and more recently as the Brilliance M1 is a car produced by Brilliance Auto in the People's Republic of China. It was originally developed by Italdesign Giugiaro and launched as the Brilliance Zhonghua in December 2000.
A few cars were imported to Belgium for a short period during 2006, but deliveries were suspended after a EuroNCAP crash test arranged by the ADAC (German Automobile Association): the car achieved only one of possible five stars, a result described as "catastrophic" and "disastrous". A second star was denied because on a side impact test, biometric limits were exceeded. Due to the severe deformation of the car, the likelihood of occupants surviving the crash was low. However, according to a wire report carried by Forbes.com, a heavily strengthened version of BS6 has been tested in Spain by Idiada Automotive Technologies SA. Unlike the test in Germany earlier, the Brilliance garnered a 3-star rating as it passed the test performed in accordance with Euro NCAP guidelines. This star rating is still well below that of their established competition. Brilliance is expected to improve the safety ratings of its cars further before its cars are imported into Europe.
The Brilliance BS6 had a starting purchase price of 18,000 EUR, similar in price to established competitors like the Ford Mondeo and Volkswagen Passat. Brilliance was planning to market the car in America, but its price would have been at least $25,000, slightly higher than the already established Toyota Camry. Efforts to sell the car in Europe stalled after importer HSO Motors filed for bankruptcy in November 2009, in part due to the high price of the cars. According to automotive data provider JATO Dynamics, combined European Union sales of the BS4 and BS6 were only 502 units from 2007 to 2009, with only 46 BS6's sold in the EU in 2009. Sales ended in early 2010, but nonetheless, Brilliance appears to be back again, this time as Shenhua Motors GmbH.
The BS6 was sold in Europe with a 2.0-litre Mitsubishi sourced engine, used in both Comfort and Deluxe derivatives. It is a Euro 4 standard engine producing 122 bhp and 217 g/km CO2.
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