A few days after Datsun GO failed the crash test conducted by Global NCAP, the consumer car safety testing body has asked Japanese car maker Nissan to withdraw the model from the Indian market, saying it was ‘sub-standard’.
Nissan’s Datsun Go, which was launched in the country a year ago, had received a zero-star safety rating in the crash test. The vehicle structure collapsed, and was rated unstable during the test. The high forces placed on the crash test dummies posed a grave risk of death or serious injury. The GO’s body shell was so unstable that it would be pointless to include airbags in the car, Global NCAP had said.
Global NCAP Chairman Max Mosley has written to Nissan Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn, calling for an urgent withdrawal of Datsun GO from the Indian and related markets.
Mr. Mosley said, “It is extremely disappointing that Nissan has authorised the launch of a brand new model that is so clearly sub-standard. As presently engineered 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 re-design of the car’s body-shell.”
Responding to a query from The Hindu , a Nissan spokesperson said, “We have heard from the media that a letter is sent, but we have not received it yet. We are not ready to provide any comments before we got more info.”
"As previously indicated, the company believes that road safety is a key concern globally and in India, but is not a fixed or ‘one-for-all’ issue (it differs by countries and evolves through time, as the traffic and society conditions change)," the spokesperson added.
Mr. Mosley said applying the UN’s minimum crash test standards to all passenger car production worldwide was a key recommendation of the Global Plan for the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety. “Given Carlos Ghosn’s responsibilities as Chairman and CEO of Nissan and President of the European Car Manufacturers Association, he should now demonstrate leadership both in Nissan and on behalf of the vehicle industry generally that corresponds to the UN’s legitimate expectation that automobile safety should be improved during the Decade of Action,” he said.
