$8k Suzuki from India received a 5-star crash test rating

Availability and demand for cheap small cars (especially in the US)

• Many commenters wish the US had $8k–$10k basic cars and resent paying for large SUVs/trucks.
• Others argue automakers already tried cheap/subcompact models (Yaris, Fit, Spark, Mirage, Versa, Fiesta, etc.) and they sold poorly; buyers overwhelmingly choose larger, more powerful SUVs and trucks, often on long, expensive loans.
• Some say manufacturers and dealers prefer high-margin vehicles and shape demand via marketing; others counter that companies mostly follow revealed consumer preferences.
• Used cars are seen as the real “bottom end” of the US market now.

Regulation, tariffs, and policy effects

• CAFE rules, import tariffs, and USMCA/NAFTA wage requirements are cited as making very small imports uneconomical and incentivizing larger “footprint” vehicles.
• In Australia and India, commenters highlight tariffs, luxury car taxes, and layered sales/road taxes as major price components.
• Chinese EV maker BYD is discussed as undercutting prices abroad, with debate over the role and scale of Chinese subsidies and whether very high US tariffs could or should block them.

Safety ratings and crash physics

• Global NCAP 5-star ratings are praised but repeatedly noted as class-relative: a 5-star subcompact is not as protective as a 5-star large sedan or SUV, especially in head‑on collisions.
• This drives a perceived “arms race” toward heavier vehicles, making roads more dangerous for occupants of small cars, cyclists, and pedestrians.
• Euro NCAP is criticized for heavily weighting active safety tech (lane-keep assist, etc.), which drags down ratings for otherwise decent cars (e.g., Dacia, Suzuki Swift).
• Euro NCAP and some manufacturers do factor in pedestrian safety, but US-style ratings focus mainly on occupants.
• There is detailed discussion of momentum, delta‑V, and crumple zones; consensus is that heavier vehicles generally fare better in vehicle‑to‑vehicle crashes, but not necessarily into fixed objects.

Environmental rules and specific models (Jimny, Dzire, etc.)

• The Jimny’s withdrawal as a passenger car in Europe is attributed to fleet-average CO₂ and broader EU emissions/safety regulations; Suzuki lacks enough low‑emission models to offset it.
• It survives in some markets as a “commercial” vehicle with looser rules, and an electric or hybrid version is rumored.
• Some call the rules “arbitrary” because high‑end, thirsty SUVs still sell if balanced by EVs in the same fleet; others defend fleet averaging as a way to push overall emissions down.

Global pricing, PPP, and manufacturing

• Indian buyers can get well‑equipped small SUVs or sedans for under ~€10k, which shocks Europeans paying much more even for used cars.
• One view: prices are low mainly due to local wages and purchasing power parity.
• A rebuttal emphasizes scale and automation (e.g., high robot density in Maruti Suzuki plants, large export volumes) and notes that wages at top Indian plants can be comparable to Eastern Europe while prices remain much lower.
• Taxes in India can be 40%+ of car price, implying pre‑tax production costs are even lower.

Vehicle longevity and “car for life”

• In India, cars are often considered done after ~10–15 years, partly due to wear, roads, and specific regional rules (e.g., NCR limits on >15‑year vehicles).
• In Germany and elsewhere in Europe, older cars (10–20 years) remain common; average fleet age is ~10–12 years.
• Engineers mention typical design targets around 10–15 years / 100k–150k km, but many modern cars exceed this with maintenance.

Labor and environmental conditions in Indian production

• An engineer who worked on Indian production lines reports surprisingly good working conditions at major OEMs: clean plants, strong safety practices, and relatively well‑paid, stable jobs.
• Conditions at smaller third‑party suppliers are described as more variable and sometimes poor.