[Fiero]

Originally Posted by redcandle

I think the Aveo will not fail becouse of this, as many people still buy M800 or Alto despite them being a coffin on wheels.

even i dont think the aveo will fail because of crash test results to say the least . it all depends on the pricing
but m800 and alto are bought mostly because of budget restraints .. you cant expect anything frm sub 2.5 lac cars

[normally_crazy]

How can the Aveo not have a good rating on the safety score ? it does have a HORN right ? or it does not ?

and yeah if safety was the prime concern of the Indian market , i dont think many cars would have been sucessful here. As long as there is a HORN on the car its got a 5 star rating here .

so dont worry !

[amit]

This link has the crash test results of the 2006 Aveo. The results show 5 star frontal rating for driver and passenger and 4 stars for side impact. I belive the car tested had side impact air bags. I'd say the results are pretty decent but these are American crash test results.

[vipul_singh]

Great job mxx, in bringing this to notice. I think the primary difference between the tests carried out by Safercars.gov and Euroncap is the offset in the frontal impact, the speed, and the nature of the barrier.

Safercars crashes the cars at 35mph against a fixed barrier, which they say is the equivalent of two cars crashing while each of them is travelling at 35mph. There is no offset in this test, which would make a major impact on the amount of loading any one component (say, the A pillar).

Euroncap tests are done against a deformable barrier, while the car is traveling at 40 mph.

I believe that Euroncap's tests are more in line with real world conditions, since I imagine that real world crashes would also be offset to a significant degree.

What I am absolutely sure about is that if one crash test gives a 5-star rating, and another one ranks the car at 1-star, my purchase decision would be based on the lower of the two.

It is amazing how the safety rating of a car seems to be of little importance before the accident. You only need to have a sever accident to change your mind on that.

BTW, somebody seemed to suggest that ABS/EBD would have an impact on the safety rating. I do not think it is the case for EuroNCAP ratings. Seat-belt pre-tensioners and airbags would matter, however, as would ISO fix mounts for baby seats. This is because the test is focused on passive safety and not active safety.

[aseem]

Originally Posted by vipul_singh

Safercars crashes the cars at 35mph against a fixed barrier, which they say is the equivalent of two cars crashing while each of them is travelling at 35mph. There is no offset in this test, which would make a major impact on the amount of loading any one component (say, the A pillar).

Euroncap tests are done against a deformable barrier, while the car is traveling at 40 mph.



What I am absolutely sure about is that if one crash test gives a 5-star rating, and another one ranks the car at 1-star, my purchase decision would be based on the lower of the two.
.

Well I would go with the American test, mainly as its GM we are discussing here. European safety tests are biased against American cars, I am sure Aveo would have had a higher rating if it was German. I know most of you would think this is outrageous, however politics is involved in highest level of business and governance. It is a tool used by companies to promote cars of their own countries.

[amit]

European safety tests are biased against American cars, I am sure Aveo would have had a higher rating if it was German. I know most of you would think this is outrageous, however politics is involved in highest level of business and governance. It is a tool used by companies to promote cars of their own countries.

Why do you trust the American crash test results then? If you claim that Europeans are biased towards German cars then can't we say that Americans are also biased towards American cars and due to the politics invovled Aveo turned up with 5 star ratings in the north american tests?

I,personally, don't think there are any biasedness invovled in either the Euro or American tests. The Swift got 5 star ratings in the Euro NCAP, and the new Jetta and Passat got best picks in front and side impact tests in North America.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by aseem

European safety tests are biased against American cars, I am sure Aveo would have had a higher rating if it was German. I know most of you would think this is outrageous, however politics is involved in highest level of business and governance. It is a tool used by companies to promote cars of their own countries.

Dead right, Aseem. However, its not biased just against American cars but against any non-Euro car. Its an unofficial trade barrier.

Like someone mentioned before, its a bit like the Prestige ad - "jo biwi se sachmuch karte hai pyaar, woh prestige se kaise kare inkaar?" which man would dare to buy anything other than Prestige after that??????

[ksethuram]

Originally Posted by aseem

Well I would go with the American test, mainly as its GM we are discussing here. European safety tests are biased against American cars, I am sure Aveo would have had a higher rating if it was German. I know most of you would think this is outrageous, however politics is involved in highest level of business and governance. It is a tool used by companies to promote cars of their own countries.

Aseem, then how are japanese car's (Honda, Toyotya, Suzuki, Mazda etc. ) get good results at NCAP?

[sbasak]

How many stars our Autos will get?

Does it discourage people from using them?

I don't think we should care too much about European/American safety tests.

I'm sure they don't test collision with a cow or unmarked speedbreakers (bump) at night!

If you worry too much about road safety in India, you need to ride battle tanks only

[vipul_singh]

I think it would be asking too much from the car buying public, most of which have only the salesman's word to go by while making a purchase decision. This is why these cars would continue to sell.

However, I think the BHP-ians should take better note of this. I think the euphoria surrouning the car is getting the better of us. I only hope the BHP-ians keep that in mind before purchasing a car.

Me? I struck the Aveo off the list the moment I saw the images of the Aveo after the Euro-NCAP crash test. For the very same reason, I did not allow my father to buy the Baleno. I think that it is my duty (to my parents, and loved ones) to take all reasonble steps to avoid getting killed, or worse, permanently disabled. What good would the superior handling, better air-conditioning, nappa leather upholstry etc. be if the car is more likely to allow injury to my self. (Of course, here I am assuming that I basically trust the NCAP test - if you do not, that is certainly your choice)

Coming to the Euro-NCAP people not testing the cars on dividers, I have only this to say: you are, of course, 100% correct but, for want of any further evidence, I would have to assume that a car with a 5-star rating can be expected to be in a better position of protecting me in the event of an accident, as compared to, say, a Baleno. That matters to me...a lot.

[Fiero]

well there really aren't too many cars below 8 lacs in india which would qualify more than an aveo or a baleno ... and thats not gonna stop people from buying them.

and in a real life scenario ... aveo with ABS/EBD and airbags would be better than..say a honda city without ... even though city might be a better 'design' in terms of safety

suppose ur travelling at a high speed .... brake but crash into another car at 40 in a honda city ... with assisted braking in the aveo ,lets say ... the speed would be 35 ... and not 40 ... and with airbags working for you...

who do you think is gonna get hurt more ??

[Fiero]

Originally Posted by sbasak

How many stars our Autos will get?

Does it discourage people from using them?

I don't think we should care too much about European/American safety tests.

I'm sure they don't test collision with a cow or unmarked speedbreakers (bump) at night!

If you worry too much about road safety in India, you need to ride battle tanks only

haha ... good one....very true

and most of the accedents in india will be 'low speed' ones in comparison with those in the US and europe.

[Fiero]

the swift has very good rating ... aveo does not

but given that it is a hatchback , what if a bus bangs you from behind , the people at the back in the swift gonna get hurt real bad.
would that not make you wanna be in an aveo instead ???or any car with a boot for that matter ... will this discourage people from buying hatchbacks ??? i think not

same goes for aveo and baleno ... will sell ... despite what the ratings have to say

[s.chaterjee]

Hey guys,
i took a test drive of the Aveo today ..and i must say it was
really...mindblowing!!!!
The drive was soo smooth and noise free and the classy interiors were a treat!
I think the safety features provided by Chevrolet are best in the segment with the dual airbags,ABS,front and side window defroster,defogger,the crumple zones..........woooooooooooooooo!!!
Infact this article i read sumwhere had an article about Aveo getting a 5-star rating in US NCAP test!
I think Chevrolet should be given their share of credit for introducing such a lovely car in the Indian market!

[typeOnegative]

Originally Posted by narasimha raju

Honda City in Singapore and Malaysia comes with ABS/EBD and airbags as standard equipment. It costs around SGD 60,000 (Around INR 15 Lakhs) in Singapore, So they might be providing them as standard equipment. But these are not even provided as optional equipment in Indian version.

Doesn't Singapore levy a very high tax on cars? If this is so, then I think the price in S'pore is no big deal and Honda sucks for short changing Indian consumers.

Please correct me if I am wrong.