European Union has one of the most stringent safety norms for automobiles and one of the strictest regulations. Tata Motors had announced to launch Nano Europa mostly by year 2012. The car has now passed the European crash tests with flying colours. Nano was driven at 56kmph and passed 40 percent offset crash test including the side impact test.
Tata Motors has tweaked the European model according to the driving and safety conditions of Europe. It has strengthened the front longitudinal structure and added another structure at the back to reduce the impact of crash. This has added another 18kgs of weight to the car. It has also added more airbags for the passenger which is mandatory in western countries. The Indian crash test was performed at 48kmph and the airbags are not mandatory according to the Indian safety norms.
The Euro NCAP tests are one of the strictest and Tata Motors intends to achieve the four star ratings under these tests. The current crash test results have at least silenced the worldwide auto experts who have criticized and doubted the safety measures of Nano ever since the car was first unveiled. This is yet another feather in the cap for Tata Motors which has done Indian automobile industry proud by passing these tests so early. The formal launch of the car in Europe is still three years away and the crash tests could have been also been done at a later stage. Tata Motors has definitely taken a step forward towards the commercial viability of Nano in Europe.
