The news follows the test rating by the Global NCAP in which Suzuki-Maruti Alto, Tata Nano, Hyundai i10, Volkswagen Polo, Ford Figo have all failed, receiving a zero-star safety rating for adult occupant protection. None of them was even able to meet the lower UN crash test standard of minimum requirements in the 56km/h crash test.

In the test results, the Volkswagen Polo with two airbags - driver and front passenger - achieved a four-star rating for adult occupant protection in the 64km/h. It had a three-star rating for child protection. Without airbags, the Polo was not even able to meet the UN’s minimum safety requirements in the 56km/h crash test.

According to the Global NCAP, what is significant is a vital combination of both sound structural integrity and air bags as standard equipment. These features are the sure way to exceed the minimum UN crash test standard at 56km/h. They also offer adequate levels of protection in a higher speed crash at 64km/h, the speed most commonly used by independent consumer crash test programmes.

This was the first-ever crash test of India’s popular small cars. All the cars tested for a frontal impact at 64km/h received zero-star adult protection ratings.

Max Mosley, Chairman of Global NCAP, said: “India is now a major global market and production centre for small cars, so it’s worrying to see levels of safety that are 20 years behind the five-star standards now common in Europe and North America. Poor structural integrity and the absence of airbags are putting the lives of Indian consumers at risk. They have a right to know how safe their vehicles are and to expect the same basic levels of safety as standard as customers in other part of the world.”

Global NCAP said after the tests, "In the Suzuki-Maruti Alto 800, the Tata Nano and the Hyundai i10, the vehicle structures proved inadequate and collapsed to varying degrees, resulting in high risks of life-threatening injuries to the occupants. The extent of the structural weaknesses in these models were such that fitting airbags would not be effective in reducing the risk of serious injury. The Ford Figo and Volkswagen Polo had structures that remained stable – and, therefore, with airbags fitted, protection for the driver and front passenger would be much improved."

Structural defects in Alto 800, Nano, Hyundai i10

The Global NCAP said, "Global NCAP also assessed the same models against the UN’s basic crash test. This 40% offset frontal impact test at 56km/h is now widely applied by major manufacturing countries and regions, including Australia, China, European Union, Japan and Malaysia. The Global Plan for the UN’s Decade of Action for Road Safety recommends that all Member States apply this standard, although it is not yet applied in India. All but one of the cars tested failed to pass even this minimum standard.

"In the Suzuki-Maruti Alto 800, the Tata Nano and the Hyundai i10, the vehicle structures proved inadequate - fitting airbags would not be effective in reducing the risk of serious injury in these models. It claims, The Ford Figo and Volkswagen Polo had structures that remained stable – and, therefore, with airbags fitted, protection for the driver and front passenger would be much improved.

"In the assessments, the child seats recommended by manufacturers were often found to be incompatible with their vehicle’s belt system. In the Tata Nano, there was no three-point seatbelt on the rear seats and no way to install a child seat or transport a small child safely. 'Vehicle manufacturers understand how important it is for young children to travel buckled up in a child seat that’s installed securely on the rear seat,' said David Ward, Secretary-General of Global NCAP. 'They know what they need to do to make it as easy as possible for parents: it’s just a question of priorities. Indian families buying these cars expect their children to be given the same protection as children in other parts of the world.' "

- RM Nair