In an unprecedented move, the global organisation for car safety testing has called on Nissan to withdraw a brand new model from the Indian market because it is so dangerous.
Max Mosley, chairman of the New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP), has made the demand in a personal letter to Nissan chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn after a crash test of its Datsun GO model showed that it failed to get any stars for even the most basic safety features.
The popular model has so little structural integrity that the results of the head-
on collision tests suggested that passengers are unlikely to survive.
But the specific reason NCAP has called for Nissan to immediately halt all sales is that the body shell is so weak that even if the company were to install airbags, which it doesn’t, it would do nothing to improve the survival chances of the occupants.
The car, which received a zero star rating, would not even pass the basic technical standards required in the UK and other developed countries according to NCAP, where customers have come to expect a minimum score of four out of a possible five stars.
The Datsun GO was awarded two out of five stars for child safety only because the devastation in the front absorbed the greater part of the impact.
Mosley pulls no punches when he says “it is extremely disappointing that Nissan has authorised the launch of a brand new model that is so clearly sub-standard. In these circumstances I would urge Nissan to withdraw the Datsun GO from sale in India pending an urgent redesign of the car’s body-shell.
“Applying the UN’s minimum crash test standards to all passenger car production worldwide is a key recommendation of the Global Plan for the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety.
“Given Carlos Ghosn’s responsibilities as chairman and CEO of Nissan and president of the European Car Manufacturers Association, he should now demonstrate leadership both in Nissan and on behalf of the vehicle industry generally that corresponds to the UN’s legitimate expectation that automobile safety should be improved during the Decade of Action.”
NCAP says car companies normally justify the poor safety performance of vehicles they sell in developing world markets by saying they comply with local legislation, and Nissan is no different.
A spokesperson for the company said: “Datsun GO meets minimum required local vehicle regulations in India and was developed with a strong intention to deliver the best adapted solutions to the local conditions, from best in class braking and good visibility to durability, seat comfort and reduced motion sickness – all being taken as a package aim to decrease potential risk of road accidents.
“Automotive regulation standards in fast-growing countries are constantly evolving and as a global manufacturer, we are willing to adopt as well as help evolve standards in vehicular safety standards.”
Mosley is furious that Ghosn has failed to respond to two previous letters that he sent to the CEO outlining problems with cars it is selling in Latin America.
When NCAP crash tested the Nissan Tsuru in 2013, the car came close to total collapse and is fitted only with two-point seatbelts instead of the conventional three-point seatbelts in the rear, making it impossible to fit a child seat properly.
The initial letter called on Ghosm to “guarantee that levels of occupant protection that are legal requirements in Europe and North America are also applied in the rapidly growing automobile markets of Latin America and elsewhere.”
Despite the dismal performance of the Tsuru, Nissan responded at the time to the Guardian by saying “the Tsuru meets safety regulations in the markets where it is sold. It is one of the best-selling sub-compact vehicles in our market due to its proven affordability, durability and reliability.”
While the Datsun GO was the worst model to be tested in India, six other popular cars sold there also scored a zero rating. The others are the Suzuki Maruti Swift, Suzuki Maruti Alto 800, the Hyundai i10, the Ford Figo, the Volkswagen Polo, and the Tata Nano. The results are of significance because India is the fifth largest producer in the world of passenger cars.
An NCAP spokesman said the “Indian cars would not even pass the basic technical standards required in markets in the developed world. In Europe we cannot find a zero star car in the last 10 years.”
After the results were published, Volkswagen decided to withdraw the models that did not have two airbags as standard. As a result the Polo has now received a four-star safety rating.
Rohit Baluja, president of India’s Institute of Road Traffic Education says he hopes the introduction of safety tests into the Indian market will lead to customers putting pressure on the car companies to improve their performance, even if legislation is not in place.
He said: “Consumers are not yet aware of the safety aspects of the vehicle they purchase. The consumer believes that the automobiles they are purchasing meet the best safety standards. While deciding to purchase the vehicle the consumer does not yet consider safety as a deciding parameter.
“Referring to the prime minister’s campaign, Make in India, the call is not just to make in India, but make the highest quality of products in India which match the best of global standards.”
- This article was amended on 6 November to correct the name of the Nissan chairman to Carlos Ghosn, not Ghosm as originally written
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