Cheap cars in developing world lack safety standards

Dec 14, 2011, 3:06 GMT

Sao Paulo - Most of the bestselling new cars in the developing world lack basic safety standards, with a number of models showing weak body structures and a lack of safety requirements that are standard in most industrialised countries, according to recent crash test reports.

LAtest tests by the Latin New Car Assessment Programme (Latin NCAP) show 'that today's best selling cars in Latin America are providing levels of safety 20 years behind the 'five star' standards now common in Europe and North America,' the authority said in its report.

The Latin NCAP tests have been carried out in two phases since 2010. Overall, the programme has tested seven out of the top 10 selling cars in the region. The cars selected for testing have been the most basic and most popular versions of the models available (for instance, without airbags as standard). This partly explains the disappointing results, the organisation said.

Among the cars tested were the Fiat Novo Uno Evo, the Chevrolet Corsa, the Ford Focus Hatchback, the Ford KA Fly Viral, the Nissan March, and the Nissan Tiida Hatchback.

The Geely CKI, manufactured in China, received the worst front-impact ratings in the test and was not rated. The Fiat, Ford Ka, Corsa and a Peugeot 207 compact were all only given a one out of a possible five stars in the ratings. The Toyota Corolla XEI, fitted with two airbags, was given a four star rating.

According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) report, the Latin-Caribbean region has the world's highest per capita death rate from motor vehicle accidents.

The Latin NCAP called on governments across the region to make it a mandatory requirement for all passenger cars to be able to pass the UN's most important international safety standards and encouraged manufacturers to take the same initiative on a voluntary basis.