The AUTOMABILE ASSOCIATION (AA) has expressed its disappointment with the results obtained by the Toyota Starlet following its crash test by the Global New Car Assessment Program (GNCAP).
The Starlet was tested under AA and GNCAP’s #SaferCarsForAfrica campaign which tests the safety of “cheap” cars sold in the country.
The Starlet received a zero for its failure to protect elderly passengers in the event of an accident.
However, Riaan Esterhuysen, who is the Senior Manager Product PR and Corporate Communications at Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM), said that the car tested by AA is old and is not currently being sold.
“The Toyota Starlet that is sold in this country has been thoroughly improved and complies with all the safety standards of this country as well as those of Toyota around the world,” said Esterhuysen.
It has been found that the Starlet fails to protect the passengers, especially in a side impact due to the lack of side airbags.
The AA revealed that the car it was testing had two airbags, not the six that were upgraded in September.
The Starlet is based on the Suzuki Baleno, which also has front and side airbags.
The AA said figures show that more than 20,000 people bought the Starlet before it was upgraded with six airbags.
“Many owners may not be aware of security upgrades or have doubts about their safety.”
It said that another concern is that there is no evidence that its body has been improved after the addition of other airbags. It has promised to test it improved later this year.
The test results found this:
- If it hits the side, it fails to protect the head and chest. Immunization was found to be adequate.
- Around the feet and the body it was found that it is not strong enough and will not be able to withstand another weight.
- It is not side impact tested because it does not have side airbags.
- A three-year-old doll’s head hit the inside of the body and the chest protection was down during a frontal crash test.
- It is knocked to the side, the head of the baby doll is smashed.
The head of AA in the country, Bobby Ramagwede, said that the Toyota Starlet is one of the most popular cars and its impact in the mud puts the owners and their families at risk of injury if they are involved in an accident.
AA and GNCAP buy a car in this country and take it to Europe for testing.
The latest published results concern the Chery Tiggo Pro, which received two out of five stars for protecting the elderly in an accident due to the lack of front and rear head restraints.
Before it was the Toyota Corolla Cross which got the same results because of it’s lack of head restraints.