DPA/New Delhi
A global car safety watchdog yesterday called on Nissan Motor Company to immediately withdraw its Datsun Go model from the Indian market saying it had scored zero in tests for basic safety features.
The latest crash test results of the #SaferCarsforIndia campaign released by the London-based car safety watchdog Global NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme) were released on Monday.
“The vehicle structure collapsed and was rated unstable during the test,” Global NCAP said in a post on its website.
“The high forces placed on the crash test dummies pose a grave risk of death or serious injury. The Go’s body shell is so unstable that it would be pointless to include airbags in the car.”
Global NCAP chairman Max Mosley had written to Nissan chairman and chief executive officer Carlos Ghosn calling for an urgent withdrawal of the Datsun Go from the Indian and related markets, the post said.
“It is extremely disappointing that Nissan has authorised the launch of a brand new model that is so clearly sub-standard,” Mosley said. “As presently engineered the Datsun Go will certainly fail to pass the United Nation’s frontal impact regulation.”
Vijayendra Vikram Singh, spokesman for Nissan India, said they hadn’t received the letter yet and had no comment.
He said the Datsun Go met the minimum required vehicle regulations in India. “Safety is an important and key issue in India.”
Automobile industry watchers say international car companies often follow less rigorous safety requirements at their manufacturing units in developing countries saying they comply with local regulations.
In January, five top-selling small cars failed the first Global NCAP crash tests for Indian cars. They were India’s best-selling Suzuki-Maruti Alto 800, the Tata Nano, Ford Figo, Hyundai i10 and Volkswagen Polo.
Volkswagen has since decided to offer the Polo for sale in India with two airbags as standard and that has received a four-star safety rating from Global NCAP.