NCAP asks Nissan to pull out Datsun Go from India
In a very serious recommendation to Nissan India, global safety regulator NCAP has asked the car maker to withdraw its hatchback model, Datsun Go from the Indian market citing poor safety standards. In a letter to Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault – Nissan, the Chairman of Global NCAP, Max Mosely 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, the 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 redesign of the car’s body shell.”
Mosely further added, “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.”
As reported earlier this week, Datsun Go failed miserably to clear the collision test at the ADAC crash-testing facility in Landsberg, Germany and received a minimal rating of zero stars. Results showed that none of the variants of the Datsun Go have safety features like airbags and anti-lock braking system. The report also suggested that due to the car’s unstable body shell lacking structural integrity, the addition of airbags too would not make any difference to the safety.
Datsun Go was not the only car to receive a zero star rating in NCAP’s crash test. India’s Maruti Swift was another model that received a zero star safety rating from NCAP. Earlier this year, NCAP also gave Tata Nano, Maruti Alto 800, Ford Figo, Volkswagen Polo and Hyundai i10 a zero-star adult protection rating. But this is for the first time that the rating agency has recommended a manufacturer to withdraw the model completely due to zero star safety score.
Do you think Nissan should withdraw and work on improving the safety standards of the Datsun Go? Share your thoughts and opinions with us through comments below. Stay tuned to Motoroids for more updates from motoring industry.
Source: Global NCAP
Why should they single out datsun to remove their product from the market. Remove all the products which scored 0/5 from the market immediately. Enforce strict rules and penalise companies who do not meet the requirements. We need quality products without compromising on safety and quality.
its exactly this mentality that prevents you from progressing.
Born in Tamilnad. Finished my Diploma in Automobile Engineering, i would suggest that Withdrawing Datsun Go, will not be correct option. Because, the investment in terms of man, material, money & time will be great loss to the organization. Instead of withdrawing, The chairman should re-work on the grounds which will ensure all the safety aspects & also to get the rating more than 4stars. After re-working in all the aspects, i am sure the sale will be as expected or more than that. Currently the NCAP suggestions had give a free Advertisement.