Tests highlight lower car safety standards in Latin America

12.00 | 30 July 2013 | | 1 comment

Three of the world’s largest vehicle manufacturers have been accused of selling cars in Latin America that do not meet basic safety standards, according to the Guardian Sustainable Business blog.

The blog says that General Motors, Renault-Nissan, and Suzuki are manufacturing models that in new independent crash tests failed to score even a single star, while their equivalent models in Europe and America often score a minimum of four out of five stars.

Max Mosley, global chairman of the New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP), has written to the CEOs of the three companies, accusing them of putting the lives of western customers ahead of those in the developing world.

Mr Mosley said: “Global NCAP is concerned weak sales and deteriorating profits in traditional markets are encouraging car companies to take unnecessary risks on safety in emerging markets.

“Unregulated emerging markets make it too easy for car companies to produce products that short-change customers on safety. If CEOs know their products do not meet global safety standards, they should take responsibility and act now. The lives of customers in Latin America are no less valuable than those in Europe, Japan and North America.”

Mr Mosley is calling on the three companies to apply the UN’s minimum crash safety standards to their global passenger car production.

Click here to read the full Guardian blog.

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    It would be extremely helpful for some of us in Latin America to spread the word and put pressure on our governments, if some of this articles were published in Spanish, just a suggestion. Thank you.


    Robert Peralta, El Salvador
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