GM says it will phase out cars without air bags

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors Co. said Thursday it will phase out cars without air bags and other safety features after its Chevrolet Sail subcompact flunked a crash test in Latin America.

The Latin New Car Assessment Program — an independent testing organization — said Thursday the Sail received zero stars in its latest tests. The organization said the Sail is unstable and has no air bags. It also lacks three-point seat belts in all positions.

The Sail is made in China and exported to emerging markets. It has a starting price of less than $10,000.

It’s one of several Chevrolet cars that have done poorly on the tests. The Aveo, Spark and Agile cars without air bags also have gotten zero stars on Latin NCAP’s tests.

Many other brands — including Chery, Geely, Hyundai, Nissan, Fiat and Renault — also sell cars that have gotten zero stars in the group’s crash tests.

Alejandro Furas, Latin NCAP’s secretary general, said GM should follow the example of Honda, Toyota and Volkswagen, all of which sell cars that exceed minimal safety standards in Latin America.

Earlier this year, GM CEO Mary Barra defended selling cars without air bags in markets that don’t require them, saying they’re more affordable for low-income buyers.

But on Thursday, GM reiterated a pledge it made last summer to spend $5 billion developing safer cars for emerging markets. The cars will have air bags and three-point seat belts in all positions, the company said.

The new cars will start appearing in the 2019 model year, the company said.

“GM shares the goal of improving road safety worldwide, including the adoption of basic auto safety standards in global markets and the phase-out of zero-star cars,” the company said in a statement.

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This story corrects an earlier version to say that cars will begin appearing in the 2019 model year, not by 2019.

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GM says it will phase out cars without air bags

France Lifts 100 HP Ban on Euro 3 Motorcycles

It’s a good spring day for French motorcyclists as the lawmakers finally agreed to lift the ban on Euro 3 bikes whose engines produce more than 100 horsepower. The modified law affects both the new bikes and those that were already registered.

Until now, the French law deemed illegal to ride a motorcycle that was capable of more than 100 hp without a restriction kit also known as “Le Retrofit.” That meant that, regardless of how brawny a motorcycle was, its owner could only enjoy a fraction of its power riding it on public roads.

Thankfully, it looks like someone finally understood how silly this whole thing was, especially when compared to the laws in other countries in the European Union.

The EU licensing laws already made short work of the power-related issue, as much as it was possible. Still, there is nothing stopping a new rider from operating the bike erroneously and becoming injured.

Frankly, a 47 horsepower bike can be quite fast, has a strong acceleration and can be a road hazard in the hands of the inexperienced rider. Why France considered until now that even highly-experienced motorcyclists should not ride bikes over 100 hp remains a complete mystery, but as this is hardly the only silly motorcycle law in that country, we’ll just add we’re glad it’s gone.

The new law still expects to be published in official papers and will only then become effective. It looks like things will return to normal in May, and besides the riders, the new rule will also help the industry grow a bit. For starters, those who are riding restricted bikes will now be able to unleash their full power, being allowed to “restore them to the original configuration.”

Riders who have been eyeing a new motorcycle will have one more incentive to go for pretty much any model that pleases them, and man, there is a lot of new superbikes and other street models that are fantastic choices, and that are excellent fun with their full, unbridled power.

France Lifts 100 HP Ban on Euro 3 Motorcycles

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