None of the 10 best-selling cars in Mexico this year can be considered a safe vehicle for consumers, as they disregard the basic recommendations established by international organizations and associations, reveals an analysis by El Poder del Consumidor.
Stephan Brodziak, vehicle safety coordinator of that civil association, commented at a conference that the study included 169 2023-2024 models, which together represent 88.3 percent of sales in the first nine months of the year.
According to the study, at least three models: Nissan NP 300, Nissan March and Kia Río Sedan, were classified as having the greatest non-compliance with the safety specifications considered by the United Nations.
The performance test carried out on the Kia Río Sedan was under a previous protocol of much lower demand and according to the New Car Assessment Program for Latin America and the Caribbean (Latin NCAP), if it is carried out again under the 2023 protocol, the result It would probably be lower than or equal to the current one.
The analysis shows that although the manufacturers of the March and Maz-da have increased the equipment in these cars, they did not subject them to a new evaluation by Latin NCAP to verify the correct performance of the added equipment.
It stands out that the Kia Río Sedan and Nissan NP 300 lack electronic stability control, a technology that reduces the probability of crashes due to skidding and rollovers by up to 80 percent. Note that in the list of the 10 best-selling vehicles, but with the lowest safety rating, from January to September 2023, 289,219 units were sold, data that represents 29.6 percent of the total light vehicles marketed in the reference period.
Renault Kwid, Mazda 2, Mazda 3, Chevrolet GM Aveo, Nissan Sentra, MG Motor MG5 and Nissan Versa, are the other seven cars that meet some of the main safety recommendations, but were not considered safe for users either.
Carolina Pérez, researcher at the National Institute of Public Health, commented that in Mexico around 16 thousand people die a year due to traffic accidents and that 2.8 out of every 10 deaths for this reason would be avoided if all vehicles had the eight basic safety technologies. security recommended by the UN.