New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki’s premium selling model Swift, and Nissan Motor Company-owned Datsun Go crumpled in independent crash tests, done by Global NCAP, in ways that would likely lead to fatality or serious injury.
The Go is an entry-level model, which competes with Maruti Suzuki’s Alto 800 and Hyundai Eon, while the Swift is positioned as a more premium hatchback.
For the bulk of cars sold within India, air bags remain optional and none are required to be tested for its ability to withstand a frontal collision.
The Swift has received a zero star rating in the 64 kmph frontal collision test. Two variants of the car were tested – one exported by Maruti to Latin America, and another which sells as the base variant here in India. Latin American market regulations mean that the car’s base variant too has airbags or Anti-lock braking system (ABS), while in India neither is standard.
Global NCAP’s testing protocol mandates all cars (including the base variant or cheapest model) must carry at least airbags and ABS to get its certification; so on that count alone, the Indian Swift model, which sells for from Rs 4.5 to 7 lakhs, failed the test even before the test began.
For the Swift, analysis showed the crash-test-dummies having sustained near-fatal injuries, more so in the case of the driver. The car’s structural integrity was also deemed as unstable.
The Datsun Go, which sells for about Rs 3.2 lakhs did not have airbags and ABS. The car’s body shell disintegrated severely during the same kind of test. The driver and passenger dummies sustained fatal injuries to the head, torso and legs.
In January, four of five of India’s small cars – including the Tata Nano, Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 and the Hyundai i10 – failed crash tests performed by Global NCAP.
The lack of safety features in cars, combined with reckless driving and shoddy roads, gave India a road death rate that is more than six times as high as that of the US and nearly three times China’s rate, according to the World Health Organization’s 2013 road safety report on the number of deaths compared with the size of a country’s car fleet.
Seen another way, one in 10 people killed in a road accident worldwide is Indian.
The focus of these tests is to create awareness amongst Indian consumers, and also suggest the adoption of safety protocols by the government. Very often manufacturers claim they don’t offer safety features in base versions because customers aren’t willing to pay a little extra for them.Â