VW Taigun achieves five stars while Stellantis misleads consumers with one star Jeep Renegade

The New Car Assessment Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean, Latin NCAP, publishes today the first crash tests results for 2023 with an encouraging five star result for the Volkswagen Taigun and a disappointing one star for Jeep Renegade.

The Volkswagen Taigun, produced in India, achieved 5 stars. The Taigun offers as standard 6 airbags and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) achieved 92.47% in Adult Occupant, 91.84% in Child Occupant, 55.14% in Pedestrian Protection and Vulnerable Road Users and 83.28% in Safety Assist.

The car was tested in frontal impact, side impact, side pole impact, whiplash, pedestrian protection, Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) city and interurban, Speed Assist and ESC. At least 60% of sales volume of the Taigun in the region are equipped with AEB. The car also offers AEB for Vulnerable Road Users that could increase pedestrian protection but has not been assessed for not meeting availability preconditions. All the standard and tested equipment showed good performance allowing the Taigun to achieve five stars.

The Jeep Renegade, produced in Brazil achieved one star. The Renegade offers as standard 2 airbags and ESC achieved 48.71% in Adult Occupant, 66.71% in Child Occupant, 45.32% in Pedestrian Protection and Vulnerable Road Users and 55.81% in Safety Assist.

The car was tested in frontal impact, side impact, whiplash, pedestrian protection, speed assist and ESC. In the frontal impact the head of the 18 month dummy contacted the front seat resulting in point losses. Side impact showed good protection to the body but marginal protection to the head, likely explained by the lack of standard side protection. Pole impact was not performed as side curtain airbags and side body airbags are optional equipment for this model. AEB as well as ADAS technologies are optional equipment but does not meet minimum Latin NCAP requirements to be assessed and scored.

The tested version was purchased in Panama and available in many other markets. The car manufacturer did not volunteer for further testing of the optional safety equipment to show its performance to consumers. Read Latin NCAP Volunteer Testing Policy.

Latin NCAP tests the most basic passive safety specification of the models and recommends to buy versions equipped with tested good performing ADAS technologies.

Misuse information to consumers

Jeep Renegade was tested by Latin NCAP in 2015 and achieved five stars under the in force assessments protocols (2010- 2015). Car manufacturers are allowed to use Latin NCAP star rating results for up to 4 years after publication date for marketing and advertisement purposes. Jeep continued using the 2015 result after the 4 year period and also now continues to use it for the 2023 model, making incorrect and unauthorised design adaptations, even though the model was tested almost 8 years ago and under two previous assessment protocols. It is now proven that the adaptation done by Jeep of Latin NCAP results not only are not approved by Latin NCAP, but also shows a one star Latin NCAP performance in contrast to the 5 star claimed by the car maker. It is then questionable the real intention of the car manufacturer behind the misuse of this result which clearly misleads consumers.

Alejandro Furas, Secretary General of Latin NCAP said:

“Volkswagen showed once again their commitment towards safer vehicles in the region comfortably reaching five stars level. Stellantis disappoints once again and falls behind its competitors in terms of its safety performance and standard safety equipment. It is also disappointing the misleading communication of Stellantis towards Latin American consumers. Latin NCAP urges Stellantis to change this approach, improve basic safety equipment in cars, volunteer the cars in Latin NCAP to show consumers their performance. The recent results of Stellantis models like Fiat Strada, Peugeot 208 and the Fiat Argo / Cronos added to the Renegade show the manufacturers’weak strategy towards safer cars in the region which is unacceptable This case proves once again the need for a standardised vehicle safety labelling that includes the Latin NCAP star rating”.

Stephan Brodziak, Latin NCAP Chairman said:

“It is unfortunate that Stellantis misleads consumers in the region by using a Latin NCAP result that simply cannot be applied to the newly tested Jeep Renegade. The brand should at least rectify this situation immediately and volunteer to evaluate any improvement in safety of this model. Taking into account that the human body is equally vulnerable to a collision anywhere in the world, we strongly urge Stellantis to put aside the pernicious practices of misleading advertising and vehicle safety double standards and to respect the consumers of the entire region, providing the same minimum level of protection in all markets where the Jeep Renegade is sold. In contrast to the previous model, Volkswagen is recognized for the consistency in vehicle safety with which it has equipped the Taigun in its most recent update, the brand has maintained an outstanding protection level.

Volkswagen Taigun (6 airbags)

In the frontal impact the Taigun showed marginal to good protection for the adults. The structure and footwell area were rated as stable. Side impact showed good protection, side pole impact showed marginal protection in the chest and good protection in the head and the rest of the body regions. Whiplash protection was good. Child occupant showed full protection in the dynamic tests and full score in Child Restraint Systems installation. Pedestrian protection showed adequate to good head protection in most areas with some poor protection areas, lower leg showed good protection and upper legs showed weak protection. The car offers Autonomous Emergency Braking for Vulnerable Road Users that could increase the pedestrian protection. Latin NCAP encourages Volkswagen to fulfill the fitment requirements and test its performance soon. The car offers standard SBR in front and rear seat row. The car offers standard speed limitation assistance. The Taigun does not offer LSS and RED. AEB city and intercity showed good performance and meet Latin NCAP availability requirements. The standard ESC showed good performance and reached 85 km/h and 75 km/h maximum speed in the ADAC and Consumer Moose test respectively.

Read the full crash test report
Watch the crash test video
Download crash test images

Jeep Renegade (2 airbags)

In the frontal impact the Renegade showed adequate to good protection for the adults. The structure and footwell area were rated as stable. Side impact showed good protection to the body but marginal protection to the head, likely explained by the lack of standard side protection. Pole impact was not performed as the car did not offer standard side head protection. Whiplash protection was good. Child occupant showed almost full protection for the 3 years old and limited protection to the 1.5 years explained by a head contact with the front seat. The CRS installation showed full score. Pedestrian protection showed poor protection for the lower leg, adequate to good protection in the upper leg and weak to poor protection in some areas of the hood for the head while the centre showed good to adequate protection. ESC showed good performance and reached 85 km/h and 70 km/h maximum speed in the ADAC and Consumer Moose test respectively. SBR are standard only for the front row. AEB as well as ADAS technologies are optional equipment but does not meet minimum Latin NCAP requirements to be assessed and scored.

Read the full crash test report
Watch the crash test video
Download crash test images

About Latin NCAP

The Latin New Car Assessment Programme (Latin NCAP) was launched in 2010 to develop a regional system of independent crashworthiness and safety rating across Latin America and Caribbean (LAC). Latin NCAP replicates similar consumer testing programmes developed over the last thirty years in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, and which have proved to be very effective in improving the safety of motor vehicles. Since 2010 Latin NCAP has published the results of more than 150 models, all results available at www.latinncap.com/results.

Latin NCAP acknowledges the support received by the Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP), International Consumer Research and Testing (ICRT), FIA Foundation, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Road Safety Initiative. Latin NCAP is an Associate member of Global NCAP and supports the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety and the Stop the Crash Partnership.

More info: www.latinncap.com