Ford Goes Further As GM Fails To Speak Up For Safety In India

LONDON - March 6, 2017: In the first set of #SaferCarsForIndia results for 2017, Global NCAP has released the scores for crash tests conducted on the Chevrolet Enjoy and the Ford Aspire (Next Gen Figo).

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 (Next Gen Figo) however fared much better. The vehicle is fitted with double airbags as standard, and scored three stars for adult occupant protection and two stars for child protection.

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 & 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.” (See: http://www.gmsustainability.com/leadership/ceo-message.html)

Rohit Baluja, President of the Institute of Road Traffic Education 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 in our fourth year it has scored three. Ford have 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.”

Q&A: Alejandro Furas, Global NCAP Technical Director

Will this be the only set of results for 2017?

No, we expect to release further results later in the year.

Where can I get further information on the 2014 Figo test score?

The results are available here: http://www.globalncap.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Ford_Figo.pdf

Why do you refer to the Aspire (Next Gen Figo)?

Global NCAP tested the Ford Aspire which is the sedan version of the Next Gen Figo which is a hatchback. The results can therefore be extended to both the Next Gen Figo and Aspire.

Is the Aspire (Next Gen Figo) being sold in other markets?

The Ford Aspire (Next Gen Figo) resembles the Ford KA sold in Brazil and Europe, however the platform performs differently during testing, so it is not the same car. However the Next Gen Figo is sold as Figo in South Africa.

Does GM produce other zero star cars for India?

This is the first car tested as part of the Safer Cars for India Project, however, in 2016, the Chevrolet Spark GT or Spark Classic for the Mexican market, which is made in India and known as the Chevrolet Beat there, scored zero stars when tested by Latin NCAP.

You mention other manufacturers making improvements, who are they?

Tata has shown improvements with results of the Zest last year. Toyota and Honda have also had good results, VW improved the basic equipment of the Polo offering better safety and most importantly are engaging with Global NCAP in order to make further improvements.

You said GM produce unsafe cars in other developing markets, do you have any examples?

Latin NCAP have tested several GM cars many of which, such as the Aveo, Agile and Sail, have scored zero stars. The overall performance has been so bad in the region that GM came in last place among the global car makers in Latin NCAP’s manufacturing ranking table.