Brazil-made Citroen C3 Aircross Crash Tested; Receives 0 Stars

The New Car Assessment Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean crash tested the Citroen C3 Aircross with devastating results. The car received a zero star rating. The car that was tested was produced in Brazil and only came with 2 airbags and electronic stability control as standard. The Citroen C3 Aircross scored 33.01% in Adult Occupant, 11.37% in Child Occupant, 49.57% in Pedestrian Protection and Vulnerable Road Users and 34.88% in Safety Assist. 

Stellantis India spokesperson, “At Stellantis, we remain dedicated to offering customers clean, safe, and affordable mobility with products that fulfil the most stringent regulations across the world. we strive to enhance the safety features of each new generation of vehicles. As part of our ongoing product improvement efforts, we consider the new third-party assessments and integrate proven technological solutions into our engineering process where relevant. Stellantis believes there is no single way to measure vehicle safety; third-party assessments are one of many inputs used when designing the safety of our vehicles."

The car was tested in frontal impact, side impact, whiplash, pedestrian protection and ESC. Side pole impact test was not performed and was rated zero points because of the lack of side head protection in front and rear rows, which is not offered even as optional.

The frontal impact showed weak chest protection for the front passenger. The side impact test showed a relevant intrusion in the passenger compartment, increasing the risks of injuries to its occupants. The whiplash test showed poor protection for the adult neck. Dynamic child protection could not score points because the ISOFIX anchorages marking not meeting Latin NCAP requirements, and Latin NCAP was not informed by the manufacturer of any plan to update them. 

Most of Child Restraint Systems (CRS) tested for installation failed and it was not possible to disconnect the airbag of the passenger seat when installing a CRS rearward facing in that position. Pedestrian protection for the head showed marginal, adequate and weak protection with a limited area of good protection. 

Alejandro Furas, Secretary General of Latin NCAP said, “Citroen’s and Stellantis’ engineers know well how to offer cars with better safety performances, but unfortunately the corporate decision goes in a different direction.”

Now the India-made Citroen C3 Aircross has not yet been crash tested by Global NCAP but it does get more features than the one sold in Brazil. It is packed with six standard airbags, ABS with EBD, ESC, hill hold assist, seat-belt reminder for all passengers, a tyre pressure monitoring system, ISOFIX mounts and a reversing camera with parking sensors.

Both the cars are based on the same CMP platform. Now the Citroen Basalt, which is based on the same platform, was recently crash tested by Bharat NCAP and it has received a 4-star rating. While the C3 Aircross received less points for the lack of safety features, but that is not the only reason for deducting points. Clearly, the one manufactured in India has more to offer, both in terms of features and safety!