Two Korean manufacturers have come under scathing criticism by the industry watchdog responsible for crash testing, for a “worrying disregard” for pedestrian safety.
The comments were made by Euro NCAP’s Claes Tingvall following recent crash testing of the Kia Magentis and Hyundai Santa Fe.
NCAP awarded the 4×4 Santa Fe no stars for pedestrian safety while the Magentis received just one.
Tingvall remarked that in Hyundai’s case the failure to score a single star indicated the company had had made “no effort whatever to protect pedestrians”.
More impressive was the performance by the Skoda Roomster and Toyota Auris, which were awarded the maximum five star protection for occupant protection, with the Toyota scoring three stars for pedestrian safety.