The Latin American NCAP released its latest test results on December 10, and the Peugeot 208 score was only 2 stars, while the old Hyundai Tucson was unbelievably 0 stars.
NCAP Latin America expressed surprise, disappointment and regret
Alejandro Furas, Secretary General of NCAP Latin America, said: "Surprisingly, the Peugeot 208 is subtracting important standard safety equipment from its old version, such as side head protection airbags. It is hoped that Peugeot will be able to provide these safety equipment as standard on new cars as soon as possible, and new models can provide new tests.
In addition, Modern's attitude towards the health and safety of Latin American consumers is disappointing. Incredibly, SUVs like Tucs don't offer side impact protection and ESC as standard. An urgent call is made for Changes to Hyundai's basic safety strategy in Latin America, and its policies in Places such as Europe, Australia and the United States should be implemented.
Stephan Brodziak, Chairman of NCAP Latin America, said: "Through the Latin America NCAP program, we can understand that certain companies, mainly Latin American companies, are selling low-safety vehicles and expose us to safety risks. Peugeot removed head airbags from the Latin American market on its 208 model, which we regret. Hyundai, on the other hand, brings us a very unpleasant "surprise" because it is one of the most popular models in the region, Hyundai Tucson sells a lot and has 0 stars in safety.
This is another example of discrimination against consumers in Latin America when it comes to vehicle safety, where some automakers use our region as a non-standard market to maximize profits. We require both Peugeot and Hyundai to urgently enforce the necessary safety standards to provide adequate protection for consumers and road users of all vehicle types.
Peugeot 208 score 2 stars
It is reported that the Peugeot 208 for this test was produced in Argentina, with 2 front airbags, 2 side airbags and body electronic stability control (ESC) as standard equipment.
Through frontal, side-impact, whiplash, pedestrian protection, ESC and elk tests, the Peugeot 208 is acceptable for adult protection in frontal and side-impact collisions, with good whip protection, cars meeting rear-impact UNR32 regulations, and the lack of standard side-head protection airbags limiting the car's score.
Child occupant protection performance was lower than expected. The low score is due to the lack of passenger airbag disconnect switches and the deformation of seat belts and seats.
Latin America NCAP gave the Peugeot test a better configuration of the 208 version, but the manufacturer rejected the offer, and the Peugeot 208 that eventually participated in the test only got 2 stars.
Hyundai Tucson has a score of 0 stars
Hyundai Tucson, which participated in the test, is made in Korea and comes standard with 2 front airbags and no standard ESC. Hyundai Tucson has tested in frontal collisions, side impacts, whiplash and pedestrian protection. The model's adult protection performed well in frontal and side impacts, with good whip protection, but the lack of standard side head protection airbags limited the car to better scores.
Child occupant protection was poor because the test vehicles were equipped with seat belts in the rear center seat position as standard, and Hyundai refused to choose a model with a child restraint system (CRS) for testing.
Pedestrian protection is generally average, with poorer protection for the thighs and lower head protection scores, and the car has no automatic emergency braking to increase pedestrian protection. Safety Assist only displays SBR (Untied SeatBelt Alert) points and does not provide ESC as standard and other related technologies.
More safety equipment would certainly provide better protection, and NCAP Latin America proposed to Hyundai to test the new Tucson model, but the manufacturer refused.
The NCAP Latin America said the tested version of Tucson was purchased in February 2021, when it was confirmed to official representatives of the three countries involved that it would take at least two years for the new Tucson to enter Latin America. But then things changed, and the new Tucson entered Latin America in 2021.
NCAP Latin America believes that this does not affect the test results, because there are still many old TuCson models and used Touring models on the market.
Latin America's NCAP said that starting in 2020, all cars will be subject to passive pedestrian safety tests, which means that the front of the car will be hit repeatedly. After each test, all front parts must be replaced with new parts, which means that a large number of front parts need to be prepared. Compared to other test vehicles, it took 7 months for the Latin American NCAP to get spare parts from Hyundai. Latin America NCAP argues that modern times are either deliberately procrastinating or extremely inefficient.