Mind Your Own Business! Nissan tells United Nations

Global NCAP is an organisation that assesses the automobiles for safety standards of new cars around the world. The organisation is seriously under criticism by the boss of Japanese auto maker Nissan due to their strict standards of testing for budget cars, introduced every year in the emerging markets. Companies involved think that the cars built for emerging car market should not be judged under these standards. On the other hand, secretary general of Global NCAP rejected the criticism and dismissed all claims about these tests.

Several new cars produced in India are declared as “unsafe” by the NCAP testing agency after subjecting them to their strict crash tests. These victims are world’s smallest Tata Nano and Suzuki-Maruti Alto 800. Nissan is one of those who labelled the criticism as illogical and Andy Palmer said as “absurd” and further added, “I think the people who criticise these cars for not meeting US or European crash standards are living in a dream world.” Palmer further explained, “We are talking about cars built to transport people who would otherwise be four or five-up on a motorcycle. These people today can’t afford more, and if we fit safety systems we will drive the prices up and they’ll choose the motorbike again. A car with a body and individual seats is much safer than a bike.”

By the way, Nissan recently launched their Datsun Go in Indian market as a budget vehicle. In the case of NCAP they defended the issue positively and secretary general of Global NCAP David Ward argued, “Andy Palmer is entirely wrong. The UN’s basic crash standard for front impact is not costly to apply. To pass it only requires a single driver airbag and reasonable body shell integrity, which today many global platforms already provide.” “These standards have been in force in Europe since 1998 and as part of the current UN Decade of Action for Road Safety are increasingly being applied around the world. They are affordable and should be a global minimum.”

“No one is suggesting change overnight – that’s why it is a Decade of Action. Whether Palmer likes it or not, the growth of New Car Assessment Programmes (NCAPs) around the world will build demand for safer cars.”

He further added, “Some in the car industry foolishly resisted the introduction of these crash tests in Europe in the mid-1990s. Andy Palmer will make the same mistake again if he stands against the UN’s efforts to improve vehicle safety in the Decade of Action.”