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SAO PAULO (AP) -- The cars roll endlessly off the local assembly lines of the industry's biggest automakers, more than 10,000 a day, into the eager hands of Brazil's new middle class. The shiny new Fords, Fiats, and Chevrolets tell the tale of an economy in full bloom that now boasts the fourth largest auto market in the world.

What happens once those vehicles hit the streets, however, is shaping up as a national tragedy, experts say, with thousands of Brazilians dying every year in auto accidents that in many cases shouldn't have proven fatal.

The culprits are the cars themselves, produced with weaker welds, scant safety features and inferior materials compared to similar models manufactured for U.S. and European consumers, say experts and engineers inside the industry. Four of Brazil's five bestselling cars failed their independent crash tests.

Unsafe cars, coupled with the South American nation's often dangerous driving conditions, have resulted in a Brazilian death rate from passenger car accidents that is nearly four times that of the United States, according to an Associated Press analysis of Brazilian Health Ministry data on deaths compared to the size of each country's car fleet. In fact, the two countries are moving in opposite directions on survival rates ? the U.S. recorded 40 percent fewer fatalities from car wrecks in 2010 compared with a decade before. In Brazil, the number killed rose 72 percent, according to the latest available data.

Dr. Dirceu Alves, of Abramet, a Brazilian association of doctors that specializes in treating traffic accident victims, said poorly built cars take an unnecessary toll.

"The gravity of the injuries arriving at the hospitals is just ugly," he said, "injuries that should not be occurring."

Automakers in Brazil point out that their cars meet the nation's safety laws. Some said they build even tougher cars for the country because of its poorly maintained roadways and rejected any notion that cost-cutting in production leads to fatalities.

Experts say those requirements alone are not sufficient to meet basic safety standards. Some models sold in Brazil, like the Chinese-made JAC J3, scored only one star in a recent crash test despite having air bags and antilock brakes.

An independent pilot effort known as the Latin New Car Assessment Program has run initial tests of Brazil's most popular car models, and the results are bleak.

The cheapest models of four of the five top-selling cars, made by General Motors, Volkswagen and Fiat, received a one-star rating, out of five stars, while other top sellers also scored poorly. Such a rating means cars provide little protection in serious head-on wrecks, compared to four- or five-star rated cars, which are virtually the minimum that consumers in the U.S. and Europe buy.

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we have a lot of stupid people here in Brazil... that's why the country is a piece of sh*t in almost every aspect, specially political ones

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Brazil should pass laws to put an end to that.

Why should they need laws though?? Why can't manufacturers do the right thing themselves and build cars to the same specs as they do in other places in the world. :/

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Why should they need laws though?? Why can't manufacturers do the right thing themselves and build cars to the same specs as they do in other places in the world. :/

Sigh. Because manufactures the world over are greedy ******* and they are only going to do what the law specifies and not one bit more. I agree, they should do the right thing but they won't unless they are forced to.

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The car industry has a lot of the time been ahead of the laws on quality and safety though. Mostly due to the fact customers will buy a safer car over a less safe one.

HOWEVER, that requires the economy to support it, if you don't have the money and you can save 50% or more by buying one f the Chinese death traps, then you will. And I suspect that's what's happening in Brazil. A general bad economy, forcing auto makers to compromise on quality to compete on price with Chinese and Brazilian brands. Same thing that happens in china.

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With the prices they charge in Brazil for their cars there is no excuse for not building a high quality car. I'm talking at least double the price of a usa car

I'm in Brazil right now on holiday, and everything is just ridiculously expensive overhere.

Actually I'm very surprised I haven't seen more accidents, everybody drives like they are completely alone on the road, no regards for anybody else.

People on motorbikes here are even worse.

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With the prices they charge in Brazil for their cars there is no excuse for not building a high quality car. I'm talking at least double the price of a usa car

I'm in Brazil right now on holiday, and everything is just ridiculously expensive overhere.

Actually I'm very surprised I haven't seen more accidents, everybody drives like they are completely alone on the road, no regards for anybody else.

People on motorbikes here are even worse.

Second paragraph is actually more like it. The driving there was quite an adventure. I ascertained that the lines on the road are merely for decoration. Of course the cars themselves should be safer--but if more people are getting on the road, they really need to focus on better driving education and defensive driving. And staying in the lanes. And not wedging in between cars that are in their lanes just because there happens to be room. And looking to see if there is someone in the place you plan to drive before driving. :laugh:

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The driving there was quite an adventure. I ascertained that the lines on the road are merely for decoration.

I've always wanted to drive like that. :D

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Second paragraph is actually more like it. The driving there was quite an adventure. I ascertained that the lines on the road are merely for decoration. Of course the cars themselves should be safer--but if more people are getting on the road, they really need to focus on better driving education and defensive driving. And staying in the lanes. And not wedging in between cars that are in their lanes just because there happens to be room. And looking to see if there is someone in the place you plan to drive before driving. :laugh:

You described it better then I did, and it's bang on! Crazy how they driver here.

But, there is no excuse for the ****ty build quality. Prices are insanely high here.

Totally different but this is the general rule.

I just got a Lenovo Yoga in the states for $999, the same device costs $3000 here in Brazil. And there is a similar mark up for cars and anything else technology related

Actually other stuff is the same. When I was here 3 years ago I looked into buying new Oakley glasses, In the USA $300, here in Brazil +$800

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You described it better then I did, and it's bang on! Crazy how they driver here.

But, there is no excuse for the ****ty build quality. Prices are insanely high here.

Totally different but this is the general rule.

I just got a Lenovo Yoga in the states for $999, the same device costs $3000 here in Brazil. And there is a similar mark up for cars and anything else technology related

Actually other stuff is the same. When I was here 3 years ago I looked into buying new Oakley glasses, In the USA $300, here in Brazil +$800

Why is it surprising? high tariffs combined with inefficient and poorly built products that have little or no competition outside of the country they're built and voila you have what you see - where is the incentive to produce a quality product when there is no outside competition keeping local industry honest? I only have to think of my own country before it was reformed where people would go away on holidays just to purchase things that costed 4 times the amount locally and of lower quality. But hey, why let facts get in the way of Hugo Chavez inspired South American nationalism of giving the 'screw you' finger to the 'gringo' whilst ignoring poorly made over priced locally assembled products thrown upon consumers locally.

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Yeah, it's sad and crazy how much pricier things are there. The huge discrepancy between the low- and high- classes doesn't help, and the fact that they are wedged in side by side (rather than having "poor areas" and "rich areas" of town like you tend to see in other parts of the world). People get used to it and say "that's just the way it is"... My coworker is from Brazil and he always takes things back when he goes for a visit, to sell to his friends and family there. He can make a profit and still sell it for a lot cheaper than they can get it locally.

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My car has 10 airbags, I don't think 10 is required by law but I just found out that the same model of my car that other countries like argentina only get 4 airbags in the LT version and 6 in the LTZ. Here in the U.S all models of my car get 10 airbags. But my car is made in the U.S the ones people buy in other countries are made in korea.

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