It was a showdown between an American Nissan and a Mexican Nissan — a contest that served as an object lesson for global tourism.

In a crash test last week near Charlottesville, Va., organized by several automotive safety groups, the two vehicles were sent speeding toward each other at a combined closing speed of 80 miles an hour. Each car conformed to its home country’s national safety standards.

Although the 2016 Nissan Versa, a model sold in the United States, sustained considerable front-end damage, the crash-test dummy at the wheel showed only minor knee injuries. But the dummy in the 2015 Nissan Tsuru, a popular model for rentals and taxis in Mexico, indicated injuries that probably would have killed a person on impact.

“It’s the worst performance I’ve ever seen,” said David Ward, who leads one of the safety groups involved in the test and referred to the Tsuru as a “deathtrap.” The Tsuru had no airbags and the main structures all failed.