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Renault’s popular Kwid hatchback has undergone another crash test at the Global NCAP. This time, Renault shipped the model to South Africa specs as part of Global NCAP’s Safer Cars for Africa initiative. The South African-spec Renault Kwid has received a 2-star rating, making it safer than the model currently available in India.
The South African Renault Kwid with the recent facelift offers 2 airbags as standard. The protection offered to the driver’s head was rated as adequate and good for the passengers. Both collars show good protection, but the driver’s chest showed weak protection. An unstable body structure, unstable footwell structure and pedal movement account for the two stars for the protection of adult occupants. Child occupant protection showed poor performance when the head came into contact with the interior of the car. The lack of three-point belts in all seating positions and the lack of ISOFIX anchors contribute to the 2-star rating for the protection of child occupants.
The Renault Kwid was first tested by Global NCAP when it was launched in India in 2016. It had received a lousy one-star rating four years ago. Since then, Renault has made substantial changes to its structure to improve its safety quotient. A version made in Brazil was subsequently tested by Latin NCAP where it achieved 3 stars, with side airbags added to front airbags and ABS.
In October this year, Global NCAP again subjected the Renault Kwid to a frontal impact test. The Kwid returned once again with a one-star rating for adult occupant protection.
Earlier this year, four more Indian cars underwent the crash test at Global NCAP. The newly launched Mahindra Thar SUV passed the test with a four-star rating for adult and child occupants. The 2020 Thar offers dual front airbags as standard.
On the other hand, Maruti Suzuki S-Presso, Hyundai Grand i10 NIOS and Kia Seltos SUV performed quite poorly.
Maruti Suzuki S-Presso had not earned any stars in the latest round of safety rating tests conducted by Global NCAP. The S-Presso didn’t impress when tested for the protection of adult occupants, mainly because it only has a driver-side airbag as standard.
By the way, the South African spec model of the Maruti Suzuki S-Presso performed better than the Indian spec model. The similarity in the results of both tests, involving S-Presso and Kwid, raises questions about the general safety standards of cars available in India compared to their versions abroad.
