LONDON — The JiangLing Landwind sport-utility vehicle, one of the first Chinese vehicles to hit a major western market, received the worst-ever score in European safety crash tests.

The two-ton 4x4 scored zero stars in crash tests last week by the ADAC, the German automobile club, which carries out tests for the European market, the Times of London reported.

"It had a catastrophic result," said a spokesman for the ADAC. "In our 20-year history, no car has performed as badly."

The Landwind, which competes against products such as the Kia Sportage and the Hyundai Tucson, was displayed at the Frankfurt motor show last week and is expected to arrive in British showrooms in a few months. It is already on sale in Germany, Belgium and Holland. A decision has not been made whether to sell the vehicle in the United States.

Safety researchers said a driver would be unlikely to survive a head-on collision at 40 mph in the Landwind.

What this means to you: Delete the JiangLing Landwind from your shopping list. Researchers warn it "belongs in the 1990s in terms of engineering."