Maruti Swift, Datsun Go fail Global NCAP tests too...

[trinity0114]

The way both these hatchbacks have failed the frontal impact tests should be enough on the part of the respective manufacturers to make necessary corrections. MSIL should be shameful of the fact that they are selling a much inferior Swift here which(as proved by the test) is poorly engineered wrt to safety when compared to the same car that they're selling in europe. This shows to what extent these car makers can go to make profits even it means less or no safety for its customers but whats surprising is that even the industry body in India is acting like Maruti's lawyer:

http://www.thehindu.com/business/Ind...cle6564565.ece

Lashing out at Global NCAP, an umbrella body of consumer car safety testing bodies, for ‘scaremongering’, SIAM Director-General Vishnu Mathur said: “Every country has its own safety requirements. Our cars are meeting safety norms set by the government.”

Now if someone asks this guy as to what safety norms are being followed by car makers like MSIL in cars based on the Alto platform(Alto,800, K10 etc.) which in essence is only a death trap with no sort of safety in its basic structure. Its high time people realise what some of these so called 'big' brands have been doing with their 'stellar' products. A 6 lakh rupee swift is selling with practically no safety feature - active or passive, not even the structure is safe & to top it there are no gadgets or anything of that sort to justify the asking price. God knows how such tin cans are being sold.

[heavenlybull]

I doubt its a conspiracy against the Datsun GO. The car hardly sells and is not a threat to any competitor in India. In fact Datsun has been a no-go brand in India and so has Nissan. However these tests have sounded a death knell for Go in India. The news is all over and I doubt anyone looking for a budget car would not have heard of it.

I don't think that VW or any other car maker may have an ulterior motive behind these tests. ABS, airbags, rigid body shell - these things are not rocket science or a propriety of a particular car maker. No one is stopping other car makers in providing the same.

Of course VW is no saint, they started offering airbags only after Polo scored a zero in the tests, but I think they didn't like the bad publicity after that and hence made a move. Other manufacturers are free to do the same.

In any case, conspiracy or no conspiracy, end winner is the consumer.

[Detroit-Dude]

I firmly believe that European cars are any day better. We should realise that the feeling of safety is more important than light weight cars which have better pickup and fuel efficiency at the cost of human lives. Car makers like Maruti and Honda are simply improving their profits by making their cars lighter every year. Compare this to VW,Fiat and Ford who do not compromise on sturdy build and are subsequently more safer as well as fun to drive.

We should realise that light and cheap materials will compromise on safety at some point

[Carophilic]

WOW is the only comment one can make on GNCAP chairman's comment. They are really getting desperate.

[DMajumdar]

Originally Posted by rajess_in

Hi,

Came across this report from NDTV on the latest G-NCAP for India speicifc cars. In this, The Swift and Go had been tested and failed to meet the criteria.

Link to Video News: http://www.ndtv.com/video/live/chann...-lateststories

Link to news Story: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/no...h-tests-615429

Link to SVPs' Blog on last years test: http://sites.ndtv.com/roadsafety/sto...h-tests-india/

Link to Team-BHP link for last testing: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...fety-test.html

This comes as a shocker as the European version of the Swift has an 5* rating for 2010 (link: http://www.euroncap.com/files/403_datasheet.pdf)

About time the people and government took some steps ahead.


Request to Mods: checked if any threads exists and created one, please merge with relevant thread if needed. Thanks.

The Swift is wafer thin. Even the glasses have been slimmed down, resulting in very poor sound insulation inside the cabin. If you don't feel safe in a car, its probably a good idea not to drive it!

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

It did not surprise me one bit given how appallingly tinny the Indian Swift feels. The article regarding Swift sold in India mentions that the "The car's structural integrity was also deemed as unstable." So while the Latin American version scored 3 stars on account of having Air bags and ABS as standard, the structural integrity was deemed as poor as the Indian made Swift. The European Swift has a much sturdier structure as per the test and scored 5 stars.

I am pretty sure this will have no effect on the sales of the Swift much like "Happy New Year" is already a hit. We celebrate mediocrity. Shame on you Maruti!

Wonderful post! You have summed up the idea of INDIA in a few lines.

[lifebuoy]

This report was very much expected, I cannot understand why most folks here call it a shocker ? Just because most "junta" in the country swear by MAruti ?

The answer is a BIG emphatic YES in bold capitals. Most of us just go by the brand names, the features of safety such as airbags and ABS that the manufacturers provide at YOUR cost. Fact is, the body they are equipping them with these safety features is just incapable of providing the required infrastructure for safety.

Both the Maruti best sellers tested have scored a naught ! It's like betting on sachin tendulkar on a match and ultimately getting out for a zero.

Why is everyone here quiet on the fate of the poor Nano, which also fared almost the same as the swift, at less than half the cost ? Have people put their minds to it ? Can I not say that by cost standards, the TATA is a better product (cause you are going to switch off anyways, so why pay for airbags ..er.. fancy ballons). Pardon the crude language, but that's the hard hitting fact, can anyone deny that ?

I had hinted at a Global NCAP test for the swift in my previous replies in the test forums (of the 5 cars, polo & figo included). Most folks had provided links for the 5* rating of the Euro swift and had "extrapolated" those results to the Indian Ones. This test by the same agency is definately an eye opener for those with a semi permeable vision, a wake up call to not believe what all the marketing ads and guys say, but to trust hard facts and your instinct.

I am confident that even the MM 540 may perform better than these paan masala-gutka-tins that maruti sells in overwhelming numbers, owing to a gullible set of buyers like us, nothing else.

As for the manufacturers, the old adage "Make hay when the sun shines" holds good, they are raking in the moolah.

[DMajumdar]

NCAP has recommended withdrawing the Go from the Indian market. My question here is, why let them launch an unsafe car in the first place?? What about the people who have already bought the Go? What kind of after-sales service and resale value are they going to get for their beloved car?
This makes no sense at all, much like anything and everything in India.

[Lobogris]

Originally Posted by Astleviz

Toyota Yaris or Mazda 2 weigh the same as a Swift but have a 5 star rating. So the weight of the car has got nothing to do with the structural integrity. It's design and engineering. Nothing else.

Take a look at this brief video below showing a crash test between Toyota Yaris and Toyota Camry, both well designed cars with 5 star ratings. The Yaris completely crumbles due to the higher weight and larger size of the Camry. I shudder to think what would happen in a Camry vs. Nissan Go crash. Size and weight play a significant role in surviving crashes along with design.

Carefully view the video below at 1:45:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXunnaaYtz0

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by Lobogris

Take a look at this brief video below showing a crash test between Toyota Yaris and Toyota Camry, both well designed cars with 5 star ratings. The Yaris completely crumbles due to the higher weight and larger size of the Camry. I shudder to think what would happen in a Camry vs. Nissan Go crash. Size and weight play a significant role in surviving crashes along with design.

Carefully view the video below at 1:45:

That is because you cant escape law of physics - law of conservation of energy. It has to get dissipated. Hence you see the yaris kicked out like a football

[RavSam]

A la Cars movie: Ladies and GentleCARS

Presenting!
Made-in Thailand Suzuki Celerio Crash test!

http://youtu.be/k0AwHKJwz9Q?list=UUN...uqWZOG8yZZpIFg

[Astleviz]

Originally Posted by Lobogris

Take a look at this brief video below showing a crash test between Toyota Yaris and Toyota Camry, both well designed cars with 5 star ratings. The Yaris completely crumbles due to the higher weight and larger size of the Camry. I shudder to think what would happen in a Camry vs. Nissan Go crash. Size and weight play a significant role in surviving crashes along with design.

This video proves nothing, you're comparing apples to oranges. We are talking about cars within a segment. No one is saying that a 1000 kg B segment car with 5 star rating is as safe as a modern 1500 kg 5 star rated executive sedan. No amount of design and engineering can make a Smart car as safe as an S class in the event of a collision between the two, but that's besides the point. The point being made here is that the Swift failed because of poor design and engineering and not because it is light. The proof is that there are cars which weigh as much as a Swift (or even lesser) and have scored a 5 star rating.

[dheepak10]

Just read this on TOI

Datsun Go - The vehicle structure collapsed and was rated unstable during the test. The high forces placed on the crash test dummies pose a grave risk of death or serious injury.

The Go's body shell is so unstable that it would be pointless to include airbags in the car.

Max Mosley, Global NCAP chairman has said, "It is extremely disappointing that Nissan has authorized the launch of a brand new model that is so clearly sub-standard. As presently engineered the Datsun Go will certainly fail to pass the United Nation's frontal impact regulation. In these circumstances I would urge Nissan to withdraw the Datsun Go from sale in India pending an urgent redesign of the car's body-shell."

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by lifebuoy

I am confident that even the MM 540 may perform better than these paan masala-gutka-tins that maruti sells in overwhelming numbers, owing to a gullible set of buyers like us, nothing else.

To disappoint you, these M&M jeeps are guarantee of death during collapse because the cabin area acts like "crumple-zone" whereas the bonnet area remains safe along with engine and building a new vehicle is also possible on the debris left after the collapse.

There is a long way before people get properly educated on this subject. I even saw few funny comments by people in defense of brands like Maruti, Nissan etc by saying that the crash test sagas are VW sponsored, wow!

Nothing gonna change, we will keep getting same cars till we are going to retain our mentality and companies like Maruti, Nissan etc will keep making huge profits by playing with lives of people.

[nim_peter]

Is the sub 4 meter also a factor? Modern cars have very short bonnets and engine is almost pushed inside the cabin to make space for rear seat and boot. Does the small bonnet have an impact on the crumple zone?

[S.MJet]

Originally Posted by Astleviz

This video proves nothing, you're comparing apples to oranges. We are talking about cars within a segment. No one is saying that a 1000 kg B segment car with 5 star rating is as safe as a modern 1500 kg 5 star rated executive sedan.

I think the point highlighted in vedio is simple, heavier car will be safer than a lighter one irrespective of the segment.

Between Punto & Swift, both B segment hatchbacks, Punto is likely to be more safer.