Brazil-Made Citroen C3 Disappoints With Zero-Star Rating In Latin NCAP Crash Test

The Citroen C3 hatchback has scored a disappointing zero-star rating in the latest round of crash tests conducted by the New Car Assessment Programme for Latin America or the Latin NCAP. The safety watchdog says that the Citroen C3 received zero stars mainly due to its unstable structure, weak protection on frontal impact, lack of side head protection and lack of seat belt reminders, among other issues. It is to be noted that the model tested by Latin NCAP was produced in Brazil, and it is not the one sold in India.

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The Citroen C3 crash tested by Latin NCAP is manufactured in Brazil

Commenting on the Citroen C3’s poor performance, Alejandro Furas, Secretary General of Latin NCAP said, “It is alarming how Stellantis repeatedly dismisses basic safety for Latin Americans and unacceptable that their vehicles aim so low in safety while they know very well how to produce affordable and much safer cars.” He further added, “With this result, added to poor performance of the Strada, 208, Cronos/Argo among others, we strongly encourage them to review these requirements that are far from what they claim and what consumers in the region deserve”.

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Latin NCAP tested the Citroen C3 for frontal impact, side impact, whiplash, pedestrian protection safety and ESC (Electronic Stability Control). The car scored 30.52 per cent in adult occupant protection, and 12.10 per cent for child occupant safety. While the C3 did manage a decent 49.74 per cent score in Pedestrian Protection and Vulnerable Road Users, and the rating again went down to 34.88 per cent for Safety Assist features. In terms of safety features, the Made-in-Brazil Citroen C3 comes equipped with dual frontal airbags, ABS with EBD, and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) as standard.

The Citroen C3 received zero stars mainly due to its unstable structure, weak protection on frontal impact, among others

According to the crash test report released by the Latin NCAP, the frontal impact test showed weak protection to the driver's chest and just marginal protection to the front passenger’s chest. The NCAP says this could be because of lack of pretensioners. The structure and the footwell area of the car were rated as unstable. The whiplash test showed that the protection of the adult occupant's neck was poor. The report also mentions that child occupants showed almost full protection, but the dynamic points were affected because of the poor marking of ISOFIX anchorages for Child Restraint Systems (CRS).

The frontal impact test showed weak protection to the driver's chest and just marginal protection to the front passenger’s chest

The C3 also lost crucial points because the airbag warning marking for the passenger seat, did not meet Latin NCAP requirements, and the car also doesn’t allow you to disconnect the airbag in the front passenger seat position. Furthermore, the C3 also did not meet UN 127 or GTR 9 pedestrian protection regulations. As per the report, pedestrian protection subsystems showed marginal to good protection for the head with poor protection and weak protection areas closer to the windscreen edge and A-pillar. Pelvis protection was adequate to good and leg protection was marginal.

Seat Belt Reminder (SBR) in the front seat does not meet Latin NCAP requirements and it is not available for the passenger side and on the rear seat row. Pole impact was not performed as the car did not offer standard side head protection, not even as optional.

The C3 also lost crucial points because the airbag warning marking for the passenger seat, did not meet Latin NCAP requirements

While it’s true that the model crash tested by the Latin NCAP is not the car that is sold in India, it certainly raises concerns about the safety standards of the Made-in-India C3, given that both cars are based on the same common modular platform. Especially, when you consider the fact that the India-spec model doesn’t get electronic stability control as standard. Right now, all we can do is wait for the India-spec model to be crash tested.