Quote Originally Posted by MetroMPG View Post
Not necessarily. You have to be careful comparing cars made & sold in different countries.

It is also worth saying that the car currently produced in Mexico may not have the same manufacturing processes as the ones produced in S Korea for Canada/U.S.
The point is that the Pontiac Wave G3 sedan specifically, was produced in the same plant in Mexico as the one in the crash test, so unless they began using lighter steel and fewer welds after that version was discontinued, it would have the same structural performance as the one in the crash test, although it would have airbags of course (you can buy that Aveo with airbags in Mexico). All other versions of the Aveo (Chevy Aveo, Pontiac Wave G3 hatchback, Suzuki Swift+) were imported from South Korea, so this crash test does not apply to them.

Comparing this crash test with the one from EuroNCAP, it appears the European Aveo (made in S.K. in 2006) has worse structural performance, but the dashboard still does not move as far back as in the Mexican model. It looks like the dash crumples in the S.K. model, but remains rigid in the Mexican model, suggesting the later is made with stronger plastic (the irony...).