Latin NCAP has released the crash test safety report of the Brazil-made Ford Ka+, and the vehicle got a disappointing 0-star safety rating
Ford Ka+, manufactured in Brazil, is an extremely popular vehicle in Latin America. Latin NCAP recently crash-tested the car, and the results were quite disenchanting. The Ford Ka+ couldn’t manage to score even a single star rating overall for safety. In terms of Ault occupant safety, the Ka+ had a 34 per cent safety score, while in terms of child safety, the score was way worse, at only 9 per cent.
In terms of pedestrian safety, the Ka+ managed to get a 50 per cent safety score, while in terms of safety assist tech, it scored only 7 per cent. Thus the overall safety of the 2020 Ford Ka+ translated to zero stars. The frontal collision protection is decent, and the body shell was rated stable, but the side impact protection was weak. In the rear impact whiplash test, the neck protection was also quite weak.
The Ford Ka+ gets dual front airbags as standard, with seatbelt load-limiter available on the front row seats. Seatbelt pre-tensioner and seatbelt reminder are only available for the driver though. Electronic stability control isn’t offered as standard, rather it is an optional extra, but ISOFIX child seat mounts are available as standard.
Due to the lack of safety equipment on the Ford Ka+ is the biggest reason, it couldn’t manage to score even a single star in Latin NCAP safety test. The India-made Ford Aspire managed to score a 3-star safety rating in Global NCAP crash tests, back in 2017, although the driver’ chest had weak protection and the body shell was rated unstable.
It should be noted that Global NCAP only rates vehicles based on frontal collision test. Latin NCAP’s tests are a little more comprehensive, testing safety in other areas as well. Still, a zero-star safety rating is extremely disappointing, and carmakers should pay more attention to vehicular safety emerging markets, like India and Brazil.
The Brazil-spec Ford Ka is slightly longer than the India-spec Ford Aspire, as the latter has been shortened to less than four metres. The smaller length allows Ford to enjoy lower taxes in the Indian market, where the Aspire competes with the Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Honda Amaze, Hyundai Aura, and Tata Tigor.