GNCAP’s Head Mosley to Take Datsun Go Matter to Japanese PM

Datsun Go seems to be set for some more trouble. Max Mosley, the Chief of Global NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme) may soon be writing to the recently re-elected Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, in January about the appeal which GNCAP had made to Datsun’s parent company Nissan which urged them to withdraw the Go from all the countries where it is sold, including India.

Mosley had earlier written to Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan requesting him to immediately stop Datsun Go sales as it had failed to score any stars in GNCAP’s assessment test for adult occupation protection and claimed that even despite the addition of airbags, it will not be any helpful.

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As per a report on Autocar Professional, Mosley is going to wait for a reply to his letter from Nissan’s CEO, which he had written back in November, till the New Year. He says if he doesn’t receive a reply, he may take the issue up with the Japanese Prime Minister as Nissan’s origins are rooted in Japan. GNCAP’s test of the Datsun Go was part of its Safer Cars for India campaign which saw the light of the day in January 2014. The Go was not the only car which was tested and others include the Volkswagen Polo, Maruti Alto 800, Hyundai i10, Tata Nano, Ford Figo and Maruti Swift.

Datsun Go was not the only car which failed miserably and it appears GNCAP has been particularly harsh on Nissan’s compact offering. But this, we believe, is because of the fact that this lack of structural safety is rather new in a Nissan group product. The brand is usually known for making safety oriented cars.

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As per GNCAP, the Go cannot be made safe even if it is fitted with airbags because of its weak structure. During GNCAP’s test it was found that the car completely crushes the driver and the front passenger.

Nissan on the other hand maintains its stand that there is nothing wrong with the Go and it meets the regulations set by Indian regulatory bodies as well as those in Indonesia and South Africa.

This is particularly worse for Nissan since this issue is heating up at a time when they are all set to launch their second product Go+ MPV which essentially is an elongated Go!

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