The Landwind X6 is a SUV developed by Chinese automaker Jiangling Motors and manufactured by its subsidiary Landwind.
Like some Chinese-made cars, the JMC Landwind is widely derived from older imported technology and design, in this case the Isuzu Rodeo, which was sold from 1998 to 2004.
In China the SUV is sold under the name of Jiangling Baowei and it is also available as a pickup truck called the Jiangling Baodian. The Baodian is exported as the "JMC Boarding" to Asian, South American, and African markets (amongst others).
The European market Landwinds are available with two Mitsubishi-built gasoline-powered engines and one Isuzu-built diesel engine.
The Landwind has attracted a controversy after a series of safety tests. The car made headlines after German car club ADAC showed in its crash test, carried out for EuroNCAP, that a driver of this vehicle would not survive a head-on collision at 64 km/h (40 MPH).
The Dutch importer of the Landwind called for a test by German safety monitoring agency TÜV to show that the car was in fact safe enough for European standards. These tests are similar to the EuroNCAP tests, but the collision speed is lower at 56 km/h (35 mph). Despite the worst crash results in decades TÜV subsequently confirmed that the Landwind met all mandatory safety criteria according to ECE R94.
The controversy did not end there. Opponents say the TÜV test is not enough to guarantee vehicle safety today. They claim that R94 is outdated and only guarantees that the driver will be alive after a crash, and that it does not take into account serious injuries such as severe crushing of the legs. R94 is also performed at a lower speed.
Ron Zwaans, general director of JMC Landwind Europe, says his company is working together with ADAC to keep improving the Landwind's safety. He claims his goal is to ultimately pass the more rigorous EuroNCAP testing.
Further controversy arose from 2014 onwards, with Landwind's introduction of its follow on Landwind X7 SUV, which was quickly noted to closely visually resemble Jaguar Land Rover's Range Rover Evoque.
At the 2006 Paris Motor Show, Landwind displayed an updated version of its SUV, called X-Pedition, as well as an MPV called the Fashion (Landwind CV9) that would compete in the same size class with MPVs such as the Kia Carens.
Complete article available at this page.
