Under Global New Car Assessment Programme (GNCAP) #SaferCarsforIndia initiative, Maruti Suzuki S-Presso has scored a shocking zero star rating, Hyundai’s popular hatch — Grand i10 Nios, scored a two star rating and the Kia Seltos which again sells in huge numbers has got a three star rating. Entry level variants of each of these cars were chosen for the test.
Although the results of these cars varied in adult occupant safety, they all scored a two star rating when it came to child safety. The Grand i10 Nios and the Seltos both had dual front airbags. The S-Presso was the only car on this list to offer just the driver side airbag. Although these three cars meet the minimum required regulatory standards which states that all cars should now have driver and co-driver seat belt reminder, driver airbag, speed alert system, reverse parking sensors, manual override for central locking system and ABS as a standard from their entry level variants, the results are very poor.
Maruti Suzuki S-Presso:
The crash test revealed that the impact on both, the driver and the passenger's chest was severe. The driver's neck safety was rated as adequate but the passenger neck safety was rated as poor. The outer structure and the footwell area of the car was rated as unstable. Child safety was low mainly due to the fact that the S-Presso doesn't come with ISOFIX Anchorage for Child Restraint System (CRS). The car also doesn't offer three point seatbelts in all positions as standard. The cumulative results have left the S-Presso with a zero star rating for adult occupants and a two star rating for child safety.
Hyundai Grand i20 Nios:
The Grand i10 Nios fared better than the S-Presso but with only a two star rating for adult and child occupants. The car is offered with dual front airbags as standard and as a result, the head and neck protection was rated to be good for adults but chest protection was weak for the driver and adequate for the passenger. The structure and footwell of the car was rated as unstable. Child occupant protection showed poor results mainly due to the absence of CRS. Even the Grand i10 Nios doesn't offer three point belts as standard in all variants and doesn't get an ISOFIX anchor for child safety as well.
Kia Seltos:
The Kia Seltos' footwell area was rated as unstable. While the neck protection for both adult occupants in the front was rated to be good, the head protection was only adequate. Chest protection was rated as good and marginal for the co-driver and driver respectively. Although the shell was better than the other two cars, it wasn't a big step ahead. Even though the Seltos comes with plenty of features, it doesn't get three-point seat belts in all positions and ISOFIX anchor as standard.
Alejandro Furas, Secretary General, Global NCAP said, "It is very disappointing that Maruti Suzuki, the manufacturer with the largest share of the Indian market, offers such low safety performance for Indian consumers. Domestic manufacturers like Mahindra and Tata have demonstrated high levels of safety and protection for their customers, both achieving five-star performance. Surely it’s time for Maruti Suzuki to demonstrate this commitment to safety for its customers?”
David Ward, president, Towards Zero Foundation, added, "We have seen important progress on car safety in India, with new legislation introduced by the government and manufacturers like Mahindra and Tata accepting the Global NCAP five-star challenge and producing models which go well beyond minimum regulatory requirements. There is no place for zero-rated cars in the Indian market. It remains a great disappointment that an important manufacturer like Maruti Suzuki does not recognize this.”
The #SaferCarsForIndia Campaign was launched by Global NCAP in 2014 with the objective of promoting safer vehicles in the country.
Many Indian carmakers like Mahindra and Tata have taken the safety of their cars very seriously, going beyond the safety measures and scoring a solid rating. Hence, it is clear that mass-market brands have some catching up to do.