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This Is One of the Most Dangerous Cars on Sale Today, ZERO-Star Safety Rating Reveals

Most new car customers take safety for granted these days, but depending on the selected vehicle and where they live, they could be seriously injured or worse in the event of an accident.
Suzuki Baleno 32 photos
Photo: Latin NCAP
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Case in point, meet the Baleno made in India by Maruti Suzuki, which managed to score ZERO stars from Latin NCAP. The small car achieved 20% in Adult Occupant, 17% in Child Occupant, 64% in Pedestrian Protection, and an embarrassing 7% in Safety Assist.

The disastrous safety rating is blamed on the poor side impact protection, the agency claims, as well as on other things. Low whiplash score and the lack of standard side head airbags and ESC (Electronic Stability Control) are other reasons behind the Baleno’s rating.

Baleno’s zero-star is part of an ongoing disappointment, after the Swift’s zero-star rating some weeks ago. With specially poor safety performance in adult and child occupant protection on offer from Suzuki as standard to Latin American consumers,” commented Latin NCAP’s Secretary General, Alejandro Furas.

Toyota Yaris
Photo: Latin NCAP
Strangely, the Suzuki Baleno was not the only disappointment of the day, because the Toyota Yaris, assembled in Brazil and Thailand and sold in South America with standard dual airbags and ESC, scored one star. Latin NCAP notes that the popular B-segment model achieved 41% in Adult Occupant, 64% in Child Occupant, 62% in Pedestrian Protection, and 42% in Safety Assist.

Unlike the variant sold in Malaysia, for instance, the Yaris offered in Latin America does not get standard side body and head airbags. Moreover, a door opened during the side impact test, which means that Toyota should take immediate action and fix it, as “it poses a serious risk of ejection in the case of side impacts,” Latin NCAP notes, adding that the result is valid for both the hatchback and sedan body styles.

Even more surprising and disappointing is Toyota’s first-ever one-star model, the Yaris. It is concerning that a decision made by Toyota Mexico is the main reason for this result, but moreover the responsible of the decision of not offering now as standard key safety equipment,” said Furas. “As a result of the decision, key safety equipment such as side body and side curtain airbags are not available for all Latin Americans.

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About the author: Cristian Gnaticov
Cristian Gnaticov profile photo

After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s.
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