In the frontal impact test, the Basalt offered good protection to the head and neck of both the driver and front passenger. The driver’s chest had marginal protection, while the passenger’s chest showed weak protection due to pretensioner underperformance. The knees of both occupants had marginal protection, and the tibias were adequately protected.
Brazil-made Citroen Basalt
Side impact tests showed good protection for the head, abdomen, chest, and pelvis. The side pole impact test was not performed because the car lacks standard side head protection airbags.Child occupant protection scored 28.59 points, or 58 percent. A rearward-facing three-year-old dummy installed with ISOFIX and a support leg had good protection, but its head contacted the interior in the side impact test. A rearward-facing 1.5-year-old dummy was almost fully protected in frontal impact and fully protected in side impact.
Some child restraint systems failed during installation. The vehicle provides 3-point seatbelts in all positions. The airbag warning for rearward-facing child seats does not meet Latin NCAP requirements, and the passenger airbag cannot be deactivated.
Pedestrian protection scored 25.62 points, or 53 percent. Safety assist features earned a low score of 34.88 percent. Overall, the Brazilian Basalt achieved 39.37% in adult protection, 58.35% in child protection, 53.38% in pedestrian protection, and 34.88% in safety assist.
The car comes standard with four airbags and electronic stability control, but has an unstable bodyshell that cannot withstand further loadings. The footwell was stable, and whiplash protection was marginal.
Alejandro Furas, Secretary General of Latin NCAP, criticised Stellantis over the result, saying, “With this Citroën Basalt result, it is clear that for Stellantis, Latin Americans’ lives do not matter as much as Indian lives.” The low score was obtained because Latin NCAP funded the test itself.
