Latin NCAP Announces Six New Results
Honda achieves five-stars for three models while Chevrolet keeps disappointing with zero stars in a top selling model
Latin NCAP’s latest crash test results were announced today on the eve of the 2nd High Level Conference on Road Safety in Brasilia. Latin NCAP continues to champion improved levels of adult and child occupant protection which in many countries in the region still falls too far below minimum UN safety standards. The latest results show three new Honda models achieving five stars in Adult Occupant Protection, one of them also scoring five stars in Child Occupant Protection. They also show the recently launched VW Vento, made in India, achieving five stars in Adult Occupant Protection and the Ford Ka scoring four stars for Adult Occupant Protection. The Chevrolet Aveo scored a zero stars and demonstrated a high risk of life threatening injuries.
The new Fit and City are two of the latest Honda models launched in Latin America. These models achieved five stars in Adult Occupant Protection and four stars in Child Occupant Protection. Both car structures showed a stable performance as well as advanced elements that offer good safety levels. Seatbelts, pretensioners and airbags provided the head, chest and neck of front passengers with adequate to good protection. Both models offer ISOFIX anchorages that improved child safety levels.
The HR-V is also one of the latest Honda models launched in Latin America. The Honda HR-V achieved five stars in Adult Occupant Protection and also five stars in Child Occupant Protection, joining Latin NCAP’s exclusive club of five stars models for Child Occupants. The structure showed a stable performance as well as advanced elements that offer good safety levels. The HR-V offers ISOFIX anchorages which were used in the test and helped the car to achieve this very good result.
VW recently launched the Vento, a sedan version of the VW Polo from Europe, produced in India. This model achieved five stars for Adult Occupant Protection and three stars in Child Occupant Protection. The model offers ISOFIX anchorages which combined with ISOFIX CRS offered a good performance in the dynamic test. The three stars are explained by some slight difficulties only in relation to CRS installation, once engaged they worked well and the ISOFIX signs that did not meet Latin NCAP requirements.
The new Ford KA achieved four star Adult Occupant Protection and only three stars in Child Occupant even though the CRS were installed using the ISOFIX anchorages. The dynamic performance was good but it is surprising to see Ford still offering lap seatbelts in the rear centre position in new platforms.
The Chevrolet Aveo is the bestselling car in Mexico, and its basic version is sold without airbags. The Aveo scored zero stars in Adult Occupant Protection and two stars in Child Occupant Protection. The structure of this car was rated as unstable and it would not be able to withstand further loadings. The driver registered a high risk of life threatening injuries. Latin NCAP tests the most basic safety equipped version of the car available in the market.
This same model was tested in 2006 by Euro NCAP under the same conditions but with double frontal airbags. Even with airbags fitted Euro NCAP concluded that: “the compression of the driver’s chest indicated an unacceptably high risk of life-threatening injury”.
María Fernanda Rodríguez, Latin NCAP Chairperson said:
“I welcome the initiative of the manufacturers making efforts to achieve good results for adult and child occupants. I’m proud to see recently launched models to receive the highest safety ratings and that manufacturers are committed with consumers. I hope this commitment is extended to other brands to approach the goal of the United Nations Decade of Action for halving traffic deaths”.
Alejandro Furas, Latin NCAP Secretary General said:
“Latin NCAP is extremely concerned by the very poor performance of the Aveo in our latest crash tests, especially as the model is a best seller in markets such as Mexico.
“This result is not a one off, Chevrolet has consistently performed badly in our tests over the last five years in high selling models. In our recent safety ranking of manufacturer crash performance, analysing the more than sixty car models we’ve tested, Chevrolet is the worst performing major global manufacturer.
“The Aveo’s zero star performance is disappointing. Chevrolet’s overall safety performance in the Latin American region is unacceptable. GM should take immediate steps to ensure that all of their Latin American customers receive the same safety levels as their US customers.”
About Latin NCAP
The Latin New Car Assessment Programme (Latin NCAP) was launched in 2010 to develop a regional system of independent crashworthiness and safety rating across Latin America and Caribbean (LAC). Latin NCAP replicates similar consumer testing programmes developed over the last thirty years in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, and which have proved to be very effective in improving the safety of motor vehicles. Since 2010 Latin NCAP has published the results of more than fifty cars in six test phases.
Latin NCAP is an Associate member of Global NCAP and supports the Stop the Crash Partnership and United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 especially the vehicle pillar of the Global Plan for the Decade.
More information at www.latinncap.com
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