Global Crashworthiness

Crash test: 2016 Nissan Versa and 2015 Nissan Tsuru

While U.S. and Canadian consumers should easily be able to find a safe vehicle that fits their budget, that isn’t the case for many consumers in Latin America, where new passenger vehicles often aren’t as crashworthy. A car-to-car crash test from October 2016 illustrated the disparity.

In the moderate overlap test, a 2016 Nissan Versa collided with a 2015 Nissan Tsuru. Both minicars are made in Mexico, but only the Tsuru is sold there. The Versa earns good ratings in IIHS evaluations, while the Tsuru is a zero-star car under Latin NCAP’s rating scheme. The Tsuru’s structure collapsed, seriously compromising survival space for the driver, and there were no airbags for protection. Life-threatening injuries in a crash of this severity would be highly likely. The Versa, however, performed well. On the eve of the test, Nissan announced that it would take the Tsuru out of production in Mexico.

Global Trends

• Over the next 10 years the number of passenger cars in use worldwide is forecast to almost double.
• By 2030, the World Health Organization (WHO) forecasts that road crashes will become the fifth leading cause of death worldwide.
• Road crashes are already the number one killer of young people (ages 10 - 25) in all world regions.

Global New Car Assessment Program (Global NCAP)

The IIHS is one of nine members in the Global NCAP. As part of their mission to ultimately achieve a world free from road fatalities and serious injuries, the Global NCAP supports independent testing programs that assess the comparative safety performance of automobiles and encourages the use of proven vehicle safety technologies across the globe by increasing consumer awareness.