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LequteMan
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The Indian small cars have been declared unsafe, a report by the independent global safety watchdog said on Friday.
The report proved that five top-selling Indian small cars failed crash tests carried out by the London-based car-safety watchdog, Global New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP).
The report said the first-ever independent crash tests of some of India’s popular and important small cars have shown a high-risk of life-threatening injuries in road crashes.
It said that all the cars selected by Global NCAP for testing in a frontal impact at 64 kilometers per hour received zero-star adult protection rating.
It said that the models tested included India's best-selling Suzuki-Maruti Alto 800, the Tata Nano, Ford Figo, Hyundai i10 and Volkswagen Polo.
It said that the extent of the structural weaknesses in the models was such that fitting airbags would not be effective in reducing the risk of serious injuries.
The report said that the Ford Figo and Volkswagen Polo had structures that remained stable and with airbags fitted, protection for the driver and front passenger would be much improved.
Rohit Baluja, President, India’s Institute of Road Traffic Education, said the results showed that India would benefit enormously from the introduction of minimum crash safety standards and clearer information for consumers about the protection new cars offer.
He said that cars manufactured in India for export already met these standards, adding that it was not a question of know-how or capability.
Baluja said that India’s automobile industry just needed the right incentives, because it can produce cars that are every bit as good as those in Europe and the US.
The report proved that five top-selling Indian small cars failed crash tests carried out by the London-based car-safety watchdog, Global New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP).
The report said the first-ever independent crash tests of some of India’s popular and important small cars have shown a high-risk of life-threatening injuries in road crashes.
It said that all the cars selected by Global NCAP for testing in a frontal impact at 64 kilometers per hour received zero-star adult protection rating.
It said that the models tested included India's best-selling Suzuki-Maruti Alto 800, the Tata Nano, Ford Figo, Hyundai i10 and Volkswagen Polo.
It said that the extent of the structural weaknesses in the models was such that fitting airbags would not be effective in reducing the risk of serious injuries.
The report said that the Ford Figo and Volkswagen Polo had structures that remained stable and with airbags fitted, protection for the driver and front passenger would be much improved.
Rohit Baluja, President, India’s Institute of Road Traffic Education, said the results showed that India would benefit enormously from the introduction of minimum crash safety standards and clearer information for consumers about the protection new cars offer.
He said that cars manufactured in India for export already met these standards, adding that it was not a question of know-how or capability.
Baluja said that India’s automobile industry just needed the right incentives, because it can produce cars that are every bit as good as those in Europe and the US.
