Airbag-equipped Ford Aspire gets 3 stars, Chevrolet Enjoy zero in latest Global NCAP tests

In the first set of #SaferCarsForIndia results for 2017, safety watchdog Global NCAP today released the scores for crash tests conducted on the made-in-India Chevrolet Enjoy and the Ford Aspire.

The Chevrolet Enjoy, which is sold without airbags in its basic version, recorded a disappointing zero stars for adult occupant protection with the crash test results showing that, due to the lack of airbags and poor structural performance, the driver injuries would have been unacceptably high. It also scored 2 stars for rear seat child occupant protection.

The Ford Aspire fared much better. The sedan, which comes fitted with double airbags as standard, scored three stars for adult occupant protection and two stars for child protection.

HOW THE FORD ASPIRE FARED
According to EuroNCAP, Ford India has made considerable advances on the safety front, considering the Figo, which was tested in 2014, had scored zero starts then.  

This time around, the Aspire fares better on the safety front. Take a look at the video below:



Adult Occupant: The protection offered to the driver and passenger’s head and neck was good, thanks to the airbag. Driver’s chest had weak protection and passenger’s marginal protection. The car does not have seatbelt pretensioners. The front passengers’ knees could impact with dangerous structures in the dashboard like the Tran fascia tube. The bodyshell was rated as unstable and it was not capable of withstanding any further loadings.

Child Occupant: The child seat for the 3-year-old child was unable to prevent excessive forward movement during the impact. The recommended CRSs did not show incompatibility. The installation instructions on both child seats were insufficient and not permanently attached to the seat. The vehicle was equipped with a passenger airbag but it could not be disabled in order to prevent high risks of injuries when installing a rearward facing CRS.

HOW THE CHEVROLET ENJOY FARED
Airbags make a huge difference to passenger safety. Just how is seen in the Chevrolet Enjoy which scored zero stars  for adult occupant protection and 2 stars for rear seat child occupant protection. Here's a look at the Enjoy taking the test. 

Adult Occupant: The protection offered to the driver head and chest was poor and for this reason the star capping was applied. Passenger’s head protection was weak while chest protection was adequate. The front passengers’ knees could impact with dangerous structures in the dashboard like the Tran fascia tube. The bodyshell was rated as unstable and it was not capable of withstanding any further loadings.

Child Occupant: The child seat for the 3 year old child was unable to prevent excessive forward movement during the impact. The recommended CRSs did not show incompatibility. The installation instructions on both child seats were insufficient and not permanently attached to the seat. The vehicle was not equipped with a passenger airbag.

WHAT GLOBAL NCAP & IRTE SAY
Commenting on the results, David Ward, secretary general of Global NCAP, said: “Ford’s three-star result shows that basic levels of safety are achievable as standard in the Indian vehicle market. It is also encouraging to see progress in safety compared to the earlier version of the Figo we tested in 2014.

In contrast, we are extremely concerned about the poor result of the Chevrolet Enjoy. There is nothing to enjoy about a zero star safety score and GM should be embarrassed that they are selling cars with such inadequate levels of occupant protection to Indian consumers.”

In their 2015 Sustainability Report Mary Barra, the chairman and CEO of GM, Chevrolet’s parent company, made a strong commitment that GM will be “an industry leader” in vehicle safety. She also stated that quality and safety for GM “are foundational commitments, never compromised”. Unfortunately, the safety of the Chevrolet Enjoy is clearly compromised and Mary Barra’s call to “Speak Up for Safety” has not yet translated into action in India.”

Rohit Baluja, president of the Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE), said: “Statistics by the government of India reveal that speed is the causative factor of deaths of over 64,000  people in road crashes every year and that in 2015 over 63% of the 1,46,000 road crash fatalities occurred on national and state highways. Vehicle manufacturers today should adopt the global philosophy of the ‘safe systems approach’, the thought process of which reflects that even if crashes do occur, road users should not die or get seriously injured. This is particularly important for the Indian scenario.

“In 2014, our first year of Indian testing, the Ford Figo scored zero stars. This year, it has scored three. Ford has demonstrated that progress is possible and importantly this progress will save lives in India. Other manufacturers too have been catalysed by ‘Safer Cars for India’ to improve safety for Indian consumers, though sadly some such as GM are yet to step up. I am sure that Bharat NCAP will continue to set out requisite safety norms in accordance with the principles set by the Global NCAP in order to foster improvements in safety for India’s vehicle market.”

Also read: Interview with Alejandro Furas, Technical Director, Global NCAP