The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is planning to set up a car crash test facility for newly manufactured four-wheelers in India, amid reports that popular hatchbacks Maruti Suzuki Swift and Datsun GO of Nissan have failed crash tests even at 64 km/h.

The tests were conducted by the Global New Car Assessment Programme (GNCAP). As per the GNCAP, an umbrella body of consumer car safety testing bodies, crash tests of Nissan's Datsun GO and Maruti Suzuki's Swift demonstrated a high risk of life-threatening injuries, with both cars receiving zero-star safety rating for adult occupant protection.

“These risks would be significantly reduced if the cars complied with the UN test regulations for frontal and side impact,” said the UK-registered non-profit organisation in a statement.

Reacting to the development, Maruti Suzuki India said: “The cars manufactured and sold by Maruti Suzuki in India fully conform to all regulations presently applicable in India.”

On similar lines, cars manufactured by MSI for export to international markets fully conform to all regulations of the respective importing country, it added.

When contacted, Nissan said its Datsun GO meets the required local vehicle regulations in India.

As per its test, Global NCAP said Maruti Suzuki Swift “scored zero star for adult occupant protection and just one star for child occupant protection”.

“The Swift's vehicle structure showed signs of collapsing in the crash, and was rated as unstable. The car's lack of standard-fit airbags meant the driver's head makes direct contact with the steering wheel—the dummy readings indicate a high probability of life-threatening injuries,” it said, adding that the test was conducted at a speed of 64 kmph.

Now, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has decided to set up a state-of-the-art car crash test centre in Chennai on the lines of GNCAP.

In the proposed Motor Vehicle Bill, 2014, the ministry has made a provision for such a centre, and work is on for fixing the standards for the facility.

Once such a centre came up in India, all new samples of vehicles will have to undergo safety tests to ensure that they have safety margins.

They must also get certification for their structural strength. Currently, cars sold in India undergo front and rear crash tests.

The proposed facility will have all the equipment capable of performing frontal car-to-car crashes, full-vehicle crash tests and also angular car-to-car crashes.

Before notifying the new facility, the ministry will ask each state to notify the maximum speed limit for a car, a senior official from the ministry told Deccan Herald.

In most developed countries, all new cars have to undergo certain safety tests before they are sold in the market.