In disappointing news that raises concerns over the safety of car sold in India, crash test results by global safety watchdog Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP) released in Delhi awarded zero star to Hyundai Eon, Mahindra Scorpio, Maruti Suzuki Eeco and the Celerio. While the Eon, Scorpio and Eeco managed two-star ratings for child-occupant protection, the Celerio received just one star for it.
Global NCAP tested the standard version of the Hyundai Eon that comes without airbags. The four-door hatchback manufactured this year reported unstable structure in the passenger compartment in the test. The body shell was rated as unstable and it was apparently not capable of withstanding any further loadings.
The non-airbag Eeco scored zero in adult occupant protection and two stars in child occupant protection. The tested model does not offer optional airbags. Considering the structural collapse, airbags are not likely to help avoid life-threatening injuries to the driver, a company statement said.
On the Scorpio without airbags, the result said the collapse of the structure combined with the lack of airbags resulted in poor score for the adult occupants protection. This also means there is high probability of life-threatening injuries for at least one of the adult passengers.
Also read: Renault Kwid gets zero stars for adult safety in Global NCAP crash test
Despite registering zero for adult safety, Maruti Suzuki Celerio got one star for child occupant protection. According to NCAP, the protection offered to the driver's neck and chest was poor and the passenger's chest received marginal protection.
"The results highlight the importance of the Indian Government's decision to mandate front and side impact crash tests from October 2017. Legislative action is needed to ensure that the minimum levels of occupant protection recommended by the United Nations are guaranteed for Indian consumers. But manufacturers don't have to wait for legislation and we urge them to act to eliminate all zero star cars from production as soon as possible," said David Ward, secretary general of Global NCAP, in a statement.
