Alto, Tata Nano among five Indian cars to fail crash tests

It may come as a shock to many after knowing that five of India's most popular small cars have failed crash tests conducted by a UK-based car safety watchdog.

The tests by Global NCAP showed that if involved in a crash, fatalities or serious injuries could result.

Among the cars tested was India's talismanic Tata Nano, the world's cheapest car, as well as models made in India by Ford, Volkswagen and Hyundai, the BBC reported.

The cars were apparently stripped of safety features to make them cheaper for Indian buyers, correspondents say.

The five models accounted for 20 percent of all sales in the country last year.

Head of NCAP Global, Max Mosley, the former chief of international motorsport said that it's worrying to see levels of safety that are 20 years behind the five-star standards now common in Europe and North America.

The car safety watchdog put five models through crash tests, including the Suzuki-Maruti Alto 800, the Tata Nano, Ford Figo, Hyundai i10 and Volkswagen Polo.

None of these entry-level cars sold in India is fitted with airbags. They also lack the safety standards that the same models have when sold in North America and Europe, according to the watchdog.