Hispanic Group CDLU Calls On General Motors To End Production Of "Chariots Of Death" In Mexico

DETROIT, Jan. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of General Motors' announcement that they would invest $1 Billion in U.S. factories, the Consejo de Latinos Unidos (CDLU), a Hispanic consumer advocacy group and public charity called on General Motors to immediately end the production of "Chariots of Death" in Mexico—passenger cars without airbags.

K.B. Forbes, Executive Director of the CDLU, stated, "While we strongly applaud the new investment in the United States, we demand unequivocally that GM stop production of sub-standard, unsafe vehicles without airbags now, today, this very moment. Moving plants abroad is more than losing jobs; it's losing safety standards. Who would think GM would be manufacturing cars without airbags? Despicable!"

Last year, the CDLU released an investigative report showing that GM was the only U.S. automaker to sell passenger automobiles without airbags in Mexico. The report reviewed 297 versions of 96 light commercial and passenger vehicles sold by U.S. automakers in Mexico, and found that nine passenger vehicles—the Chariots of Death—do not have airbags and are exclusively sold by GM.

The Chariots of Death are all sold by Chevrolet, and according to industry statistics, are all versions of the top three best-selling U.S. models in Mexico for 2015, a whopping 11.2 percent of market share.

The number one, best-selling car in Mexico is GM's Aveo, whose model without airbags earned a zero-star safety rating in 2015 by the Latin America New Car Assessment Program (Latin NCAP), an automobile safety organization that performs safety crash tests on Latin American makes and models. 

"As a leading Hispanic advocacy group, we have fought economic racism for over 16 years and we demand that GM end production of these Chariots of Death today—now!," Forbes said.

Under pressure from the CDLU and others, GM announce last spring it would phase out these unsafe "Chariots of Death" by as early as 2019—seen by many as an insult. "Putting profits over safety, GM wants to milk the income stream and set aside safety standards for three years or possibly longer. That is simply unacceptable," Forbes concluded.

Since 2001, the CDLU has been a leading consumer advocacy group for Hispanics and others. CDLU's work has been profiled by People Magazine, The Washington Post, and CBS' 60 Minutes.

CONTACT: K.B. Forbes 202.320.1212 text or call
[email protected]

SOURCE Consejo de Latinos Unidos

Related Links

http://hispaniclivesmatter.net