Most Requested Test Of The Year: Latin American Renault Kwid Delivers Three Stars Safety

Latin NCAP’s seventh round of results for 2017 was released today with an encouraging outcome for the Renault Kwid. In our latest testing, the Kwid, made in Brazil for the Latin American market, showed clear improvements in safety offering better protection performance compared to its Indian version, and other market competitors, even under more stringent Latin NCAP protocols.

The Renault Kwid produced in Brazil, achieved three stars for adult occupant protection and three stars for child occupant protection. The model that reached top selling positions after its recent launch, was tested in front and side crash configurations. The Kwid showed an adequate frontal protection and marginal side impact protection with weak protection to the chest of the adult but enough to reach a solid three stars in adult occupant protection. The Kwid side impact structure prevented massive intrusion of the side impact barrier which combined with the side thorax airbag could keep the adult injuries below the high probability of life threatening injuries limit. The child occupants showed adequate and good protection during the front and side crash tests thanks to the CRS that was installed using the ISOFIX and Top Tether anchorages. The Kwid offers standard ISOFIX anchorages, however its lack of airbag disconnection switch in the passenger frontal airbag in case a rearward facing CRS needs to be installed, and lack of 3 point belts in all seating positions which explains its child occupant protection rating.

The Kwid for Brazil showed extra structural reinforcements and better safety performance compared to the Indian version tested by Global NCAP last year.

Alejandro Furas, Secretary General of Latin NCAP said:

“It is good to see how fast manufacturers can react from the first ever tested Kwid (Indian version tested by Global NCAP) to this three star Brazilian made Kwid. It is encouraging to see car makers reacting to Latin NCAP’s, Global NCAP’s and consumers’ preferences for better safety performance, even in entry level cars. The market is reacting earlier and beyond governmental requirements. Latin NCAP is calling for all governments in Latin America to urgently adopt both the UN’s front and side impact crash test standards certification, electronic stability control (ESC) and pedestrian protection requirements. In the meantime to make Latin NCAP tests mandatory for all cars in the market, which will allow all consumers to have clear information on the safety offered by the car that they plan to buy.”

Ricardo Morales Rubio, Latin NCAP Chairman of the Board of Directors said:

“This result is another clear example of the strength of consumers’ voice. From Latin NCAP we praise Renault for making decisions to bring better safety earlier and beyond governmental regulations for Latin America & the Caribbean region. This result demonstrates that consumers are taking into consideration the safety levels of cars when buying a new unit. We will continue pushing governments in order to make safety mandatory, to offer consumers full and independent information of the safety offered to all cars in
the market”.

The next round of Latin NCAP results will be released in December.

Renault Kwid
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About Latin NCAP

The New Car Assessment Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean, 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 eighty cars in seven test phases.

Latin NCAP acknowledges the support received by the Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP), International Consumer Research and Testing (ICRT), FIA Foundation, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Road Safety Initiative.

Latin NCAP is an Associate member of Global NCAP and supports the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 and the Stop the Crash Partnership.

More info: www.latinncap.com