Not really or at least not everywhere. Last week, I read an article in ‘Het Nieuwsblad‘ on Euro-NCAP crashtests done by consumer organizations on the VW Fox. This was special because they did this test on a VW Fox created for the European market and a VW Fox for the South-American market. And what happened was that the European Fox ended up with 4 stars, whereas the model for the South-American market ended with a mere 2 stars.
The Euro-NCAP test (the European protocol) they used for the test is much more severe compared to the South-American one, so eventually car constructors make safer cars to pass the test. If the test standards are lower, this apparently opens the opportunity to cut costs… on safety. Not really what you call customer first is it?
Article on Test Aankoop (Belgian Consumer Organization) – NL
'Cross The Breeze 