Kamal Ghorui
The India-made Toyota Starlet, which is essentially the South African version of the Toyota Glanza, has received a zero-star safety rating in the latest Global NCAP crash tests under the Safer Cars for Africa programme. While the hatchback managed to secure three stars for child occupant protection, its adult occupant safety performance was shocking.Global NCAP tested the outgoing South African-spec Starlet that is manufactured at Maruti Suzuki’s Gujarat plant and exported overseas. The tested model came equipped with dual front airbags and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) as standard, but missed out on side and curtain airbags.In the Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) tests, the Starlet scored 0 out of 34 points, resulting in a zero-star rating. During the frontal offset crash test, driver head protection was rated adequate to good, while chest protection was termed adequate. However, the side barrier impact test exposed serious risks of head and chest injuries.
In Child Occupant Protection (COP), the hatchback scored 29.33 out of 49 points, earning a three-star rating. Global NCAP noted that the 18-month-old dummy received good protection overall. However, in the case of the three-year-old dummy, the head made contact with the interior during testing and remained exposed during the side impact test.Interestingly, Toyota informed Global NCAP during the testing process that the South African-spec Starlet has now been updated with additional safety equipment. The revised model reportedly gets side head airbags, side body airbags and more safety features as standard. Global NCAP has confirmed that it has anonymously purchased the updated version and fresh crash tests will be conducted soon.
