Ever wonder what a score of zero on a crash safety test would look like? That is exactly what the Global New Car Assessment Program (a London-based organization looking to help the adoption of crash test programs in emerging car markets) found when it went to India and investigated seven different Indian-market-specific vehicles, handing five of them zero of five stars for adult safety (although very slightly higher for child safety). Due to India’s extremely lax car safety regulation, Indian cars often come without airbags, and can be deadly in a crash (although this is a problem that will soon be changed, with side-impact crash tests becoming mandatory for 2017 vehicles).
First up, we will start with the least harrowing: the Suzuki MARUTI CELERIO. This is a cheerful little hatchback, coming in a number of cheerful colors. Here is what it would look like if you got into a head-on collision while driving in it with your family, though.
Along the same line, you have the Suzuki MARUTI EECO, a lovely little microvan.
Wow, look at that back end fly.
Moving on from Suzuki, though, here is the Hyundai EON, a little hatchback from a more familiar automaker.
Um, did anyone else notice that that test dummy’s face came off? That can’t be a good thing.
However, the most worrisome we saved for last—the Renault KWID. This compact’s capacity for worry is only half fueled by the following crash footage. The other half is the fact that this is one of India’s most popular vehicles. According to the Times of India, the KWID is the fifth-best-selling passenger car in India since its launch last September.
Holy crap. That must be what a canning machine looks like to an anchovy. That driver dummy was absolutely crushed in that wreck—there was no room for the driver to hit its head on the steering wheel, because the wheel had already hit its chest and head before it could move. It makes you wonder what they filled that A pillar with—besides wishful thinking and ennui, that is.
So, if there is any lesson to be learned here, it is that emerging car markets are susceptible to dangerous voids in safety regulations, so if you have to drive in an area like India, make sure that you aren’t cheap with the rental car.
News Sources: Jalopnik, Times of India
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