Nissan announces it will take Zero Star Tsuru out of production

Vehicle manufacturer Nissan has announced it will take the Zero Star Tsuru out of production in Mexico next May.

The announcement came on the eve of a Car to Car crash test, carried out by Global NCAP and Latin NCAP.

Reacting to the announcement David Ward, Global NCAP Secretary General said: “This is a long overdue decision to cease production of a car that is fundamentally unsafe. Three years ago our partner Latin NCAP crash tested the car and revealed its Zero Star rating. It has taken Nissan too long to recognise that selling sub-standard cars is unacceptable. At last they have responded to the demands of Latin NCAP and Mexican consumers to withdraw the Tsuru from the market.”

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), Global NCAP and Latin NCAP subsequently hosted a Car to Car crash at the IIHS headquarters in Virginia, USA.

The test was conducted between the 2016 Nissan Versa, sold in the United States, and the 2015 Nissan Tsuru, sold in Mexico. Both cars are manufactured in Mexico and have been previously tested by the IIHS and Latin NCAP respectively, the Versa obtained a performance of Good (equivalent to 5 Stars) and the Tsuru was rated Zero Stars.

The test involved a 50 per cent overlap and a combined closing speed of 80mph (129 km/h). Global NCAP said the results graphically highlighted the urgent need for the Nissan Tsuru to be taken out of production. It claimed that a driver in the Tsuru would have had high probability of suffering life-threatening injuries, it is likely that the crash would have been fatal, there were no airbags, and the main structures all failed, fatally compromising the survival space.

David Ward added: “Our first ever Car to Car test clearly shows the importance of minimum crash test regulations. Mexico doesn’t yet apply them and the US has had them for decades. The lack of standards can result in the sale of unsafe cars like the Nissan Tsuru. Across Latin America all countries should apply UN or equivalent safety standards to all new passenger cars, so that there is no future for Zero Star Cars.”