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Old 18th February 2020, 14:23   #1
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Same car (European vs African) Global NCAP crash test reveals double standards in safety

A much needed test by Global NCAP:



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In the first test of its kind, Global NCAP has crashed the best-selling pick up model in Africa, the 2019 Nissan NP300 Hardbody, into a second-hand Nissan Navara NP300 manufactured in Europe in 2015. The unique car to car crash test graphically demonstrates the double standard currently applied by Nissan and other car makers to vehicle safety in Africa.

The difference in safety performance between the new African model and the second-hand European version is a matter of life and death. The crash test driver dummy in the new African Nissan would have likely sustained fatal injuries, the driver of the equivalent second-hand European model would have likely walked away from the crash. The second-hand European car is fitted with the life saving crash avoidance anti-skid system, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), the new African version is not.

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The Nissan NP300 aka Hardbody had failed the crash test earlier.


Last edited by Leoshashi : 18th February 2020 at 14:39.
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Old 18th February 2020, 14:43   #2
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re: Same car (European vs African) Global NCAP crash test reveals double standards in safety

Wouldn't this be true for any car developed for the first world (vs) the third world? Safety is simply not as important to the third world. Unless stricter rules are defined and implemented, manufacturers, with minor exceptions, will chose to save on $$$
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Old 18th February 2020, 14:50   #3
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re: Same car (European vs African) Global NCAP crash test reveals double standards in safety

This is really scary considering that we Indians might also be getting these tin cans as cars.

India's most popular car brand Maruti Suzuki wouldn't fare any better in these tests I suspect. Considering Suzuki is a Japanese manufacturer - not entirely sure how they agreed to make such substandard products in India.
Maybe the Indian government should make these tests like Euro-NCAP mandatory in India for any car to be sold.

Last edited by vb-saan : 18th February 2020 at 15:43. Reason: Typo correction
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Old 18th February 2020, 14:50   #4
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re: Same car (European vs African) Global NCAP crash test reveals double standards in safety

I first watched the video without sound and just going by looks, I initially thought the white car was the 2nd hand car from 2015 and the silver one was the new one from 2019. The "new" car looks a generation or two behind the old one. Probably Nissan is selling an older generation car in Africa to keep costs in check. In that case, I don't think the results are really that surprising. I wouldn't necessarily call it double standards.

Double standards for me would be someone manufacturing the same car for EU and another market in the same factory, but with stronger construction for EU market - and happily pointing to 3/4/5-star Euro-NCAP rating to sell the car with weaker construction in the other market.
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Old 18th February 2020, 14:51   #5
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re: Same car (European vs African) Global NCAP crash test reveals double standards in safety

And they would say, we fully comply with local regulations. And the defense will be, it is not the manufacturer, but the governing body which is responsible for the double standards.
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Old 18th February 2020, 14:56   #6
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re: Same car (European vs African) Global NCAP crash test reveals double standards in safety

An eye opener indeed. Goes to show how manufacturers disregard safety in countries/markets they perceive as 'third world' and consider human lives in these markets as disposable.

Skimping on critical frame pieces that stiffen and protect the occupant and also on driver aids that would save, what, a few bucks on the total value of the vehicle.
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Old 18th February 2020, 15:00   #7
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re: Same car (European vs African) Global NCAP crash test reveals double standards in safety

Wow! Sad, but not really surprised to see that most of the 'emerging' and 'developing' markets get vehicles which are built to sell in numbers without much focus on safety. India would not be an exception to this rule too, given that the standard line toed by manufacturers is that they 'comply to the current laws of the land'.

[Reasonable, well intentioned me says]: On the one hand, while a lone car crash test has a standard SOP by NCAP which has been refined and fine tuned over a period of time, I am curious about their SOP in this case (selection procedure, right hand v/s left hand drive changes, minimum criteria being the same – say, ABS, 2 airbags etc.).

[The forever pessimistic, sarcastic me says]: On the other hand, I feel the beginnings of another 'conspiracy theory itch' – NCAP wants to increase its foothold to Africa too. Capitalists everywhere 😊


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Originally Posted by StarrySky View Post
Double standards for me would be someone manufacturing the same car for EU and another market in the same factory, but with stronger construction for EU market - and happily pointing to 3/4/5-star Euro-NCAP rating to sell the car with weaker construction in the other market.
Wouldn't this be true of all the exports to EU that happen from some Indian manufacturers, if I am not wrong, Ford and VW follow this route?
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Old 18th February 2020, 15:34   #8
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re: Same car (European vs African) Global NCAP crash test reveals double standards in safety

Commendable job by Global NCAP, they are trying to improve safety awareness among the developing nations. They are also exposing the disparities shown by manufacturers across different regions.

David Ward once said in an interview that they will gradually make GNCAP more stringent over time.
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Old 18th February 2020, 15:42   #9
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re: Same car (European vs African) Global NCAP crash test reveals double standards in safety

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Originally Posted by Thermodynamics View Post
And they would say, we fully comply with local regulations. And the defense will be, it is not the manufacturer, but the governing body which is responsible for the double standards.
Isnt this true in first world countries as well?
Based on what I know, in US, California has the strictest emission / safety norms as compared to other states.
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Old 18th February 2020, 15:57   #10
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re: Same car (European vs African) Global NCAP crash test reveals double standards in safety

Over and over and over again, we tend to bring in (perfectly valid) what is going on IN India or HOW a car is a tin can and wouldnt survive a crash with a housefly head on! All this w.r.t a crash test by a government or a non government agency else where in the world, with NO resemblance to socio-economic conditions prevailing in India and the mass perception of safety and the guv's safety lobby!

When most Indians need to travel to point A to B, leaving home LATE yet expecting to REACH the destination or work ON TIME/EARLY, safety IS NOT really our greatest concern. IMHO the car is an earning tool by way of cheap commute mostly : the lesser it costs to maintain, or lesser the upfront ticket price, the better it is, and the manufacturers KNOW how to influence the "law of the land" (the favorite RCBhargava refuge) to keep it that way. I am sure its the same with countries trying to make ends meet or fighting to overcome inherent social issues.

It has been established time and again including on this forum there would be market specific features, reinforcements and certifications way different than whats desirable in India. How many of us from TBHP has raised a change.org petition, if we are so concerned about safety? No sarcasm : just wanted to know sincerely! Sorry for the rant, IMHO its all about markets and margins. No amount of "enthusiast only" outcry might actually change anything practically.

Last edited by lapis_lazuli : 18th February 2020 at 16:11.
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Old 18th February 2020, 16:48   #11
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re: Same car (European vs African) Global NCAP crash test reveals double standards in safety

This test is especially relevant for most countries in Africa, as it is a well known fact that older cars from the EU end up in these African countries' second hand car market as grey imports. For example, 5-8 year old Peugeot and Citroen cars from France end up in the Francophone countries of West Africa. A lot of Mercedes-Benz taxis, after doing duties in the EU, are shipped off to African countries to continue soldiering on.

For the car buying public in those countries, the choice is to either buy a new car from the dealer or get a second hand grey market EU import. Hence the relevance of this test is very high. I am also very glad to see that they have crashed similar vehicles - thus increasing its relevance.

Kudos to Global NCAP!
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Old 19th February 2020, 07:20   #12
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Re: Same car (European vs African) Global NCAP crash test reveals double standards in safety

The problem is really our tolerance levels and it's about time that we put an end to this shady practice. Whether 1st world or 3rd world, we pay top money for cars. No one is doing anyone a favour and the rascals in the industry who take such calls must be publicly shamed. Would we accept an inferior Rolex watch in India than the USA? A poorer iPhone? A compromised Dell laptop? Less effective medicines? Then why the heck have we gotten accustomed to such cheapening of cars?

Anyone who does this in India will find themselves on our homepage. That's just our small contribution toward solving this menace.
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Old 19th February 2020, 10:06   #13
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Re: Same car (European vs African) Global NCAP crash test reveals double standards in safety

Quote:
Originally Posted by StarrySky View Post
I first watched the video without sound and just going by looks, I initially thought the white car was the 2nd hand car from 2015 and the silver one was the new one from 2019. The "new" car looks a generation or two behind the old one. Probably Nissan is selling an older generation car in Africa to keep costs in check. In that case, I don't think the results are really that surprising.
StarrySky's suspicions seem to be true. This is definitely an older model pickup. I have seen these things in the middle east well before 2015.
In fact the chassis design of the vehicle is based of even much older models going back to the late 90s or early 2000's.

A small search on Wikipedia shows that this model is a face lifted version (2006 released) of the first gen Nissan Navara (D22 series) pickup that was originally released on 1997 !

No wonder it folded like a can.

Whereas, The European model they are testing is 3rd gen D24 series released on 2014.

Nissan is a for-profit money minded business (yet very bad at that). Given the chance, just like most manufacturers they will take the easiest route to success. When the laws of the country doesn't leave any corners to be cut, they are technically not cutting any corners here, But ethically it's wrong.
They are selling it there because it's cheaper to make and sell and bring decent profit and like any safety feature -because the market doesn't demand it.

Last edited by ZenMaster : 19th February 2020 at 10:06. Reason: Spelling error
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Old 19th February 2020, 10:17   #14
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Re: Same car (European vs African) Global NCAP crash test reveals double standards in safety

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Originally Posted by lapis_lazuli View Post
No amount of "enthusiast only" outcry might actually change anything practically.
I have to disagree with this point. Remember in 2014 when global NCAP tested a bunch of cars sold in India and all failed? VW and Toyota immediately jumped ship and made 2 airbags as standard across all variants in the Polo and Etios. I'm pretty sure that a 2020 Indian i10 or Swift won't under-perform as much as the 2014 versions did. It's easy to be cynical but we've come a long way in terms of safety in just 6 years!

Also, it made car manufacturers stand up and take note that safety could be a USP like fuel economy which Tata and Mahindra have been capitalizing on! I am sincerely hoping that the government won't back track on the promise to have a 'Bharat NCAP' and make more safety features mandatory (6 airbags, ESP, auto-braking). Till then, I guess Global NCAP will have to hold the car manufacturers accountable.
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Old 19th February 2020, 10:37   #15
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Re: Same car (European vs African) Global NCAP crash test reveals double standards in safety

I'm glad this is happening. Consumer rights / protection is weak to non-existent in India. I just hope some India-specific organisation is set up. Not just in automobile, but there are many other avenues for educating the consumer and lobbying with the manufacturer.

Slightly OT, but yes, we enthusiasts can bring about a change. That too in a very easy way.

Next time you take a test drive (I take 2-3 month, with friends, to check out a new model, etc.), and the sales person calls you back asking for a decision on purchase, simple tell him I'm not sure of the crash worthiness of the car. All sales guys have to file a reason for every customer they handle. When enough people give this reason, the dealer, manufacturer is bound to take notice.

Make it a point to say, "yes, there are ABS and airbags, but whats the assurance they will work when needed?"
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