India-made Hyundai Grand i10 fails Latin NCAP crash test

Yet another international test that highlights the sorry state of car safety in India has come to light. The Hyundai Grand i10, one of the South Korean car maker's best sellers in India, has scored zero stars in the Latin NCAP crash tests. The variant tested was made in India and had no airbags, while the bodyshell integrity has been labelled "unstable".

The official statement on the test reads as follows: "The protection offered to the driver head and chest was poor and for this reason the star capping was applied. Passenger's chest protection was marginal. The passengers' knees could impact with dangerous structures in the dashboard like the Tran fascia tube. The bodyshell was rated as unstable. The bodyshell was not capable of withstanding further load." The car has been launched in markets like Argentina where it comes with more safety equipment, but the poor performing structure is still a matter of concern. In India, the Grand i10 comes with ABS and dual front airbags as optional extras, only on the top-end "Asta" variant.

As expected, the model sold in Europe gets a more durable structure, along with features like front and side airbags, electronic stability control, brake assist, and even ISOFIX child seat mounts, giving the car a 4-star Euro NCAP safety rating.

Click here to view the crash test results.