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Latin NCAP: India-made Chevrolet Beat gets zero stars

The made in India Chevrolet Beat, which is sold as the Chevrolet Spark GT in international markets, has scored a zero star rating in crash tests conducted by Latin NCAP. The third-gen Spark is manufactured at Chevrolet's plant in Talegaon, Maharashtra, and is then exported to markets like Mexico, Chile, Peru, Central America, Uruguay, and Caribbean countries.

The variant tested was the base Classic trim that doesn't come with airbags. This led to a zero star rating in child protection as well as adult occupant protection. However, the body shell integrity and foot well area were termed as stable by the testing authority.

Latin NCAP mentioned that the driver's head and chest were poorly protected, while the neck protection was weak. This was mainly due to the collision of the chest and the head with the steering wheel, which could have essentially been avoided if the car had airbags. On the passenger side, the head protection was good, however the chest protection was poor. The passenger's knees were prone to injury due to dangerous structures in the dashboard.

Recently, the India-made Renault Kwid and Honda Mobilio were tested by Global NCAP, where the former scored a 1 star rating, while the Mobilio earned a 0 for the no-airbag variant and 3 stars for the airbag-equipped variant.

 
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