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The Maruti Suzuki S-Presso, Hyundai Grand i10 Nios and Kia Seltos were tested by Global NCAP
Maruti Suzuki has received another zero star rating from the Global NCAP safety watchdog, while Hyundai has 2 stars and Kia has achieved a 3 star rating. Three Indian-made models were tested in a crash lab in Germany and, as is the protocol, only basic variants were used. Models are the Maruti Suzuki S-Presso mini SUV, the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios hatch and the best-selling Kia Seltos compact SUV. The cars were subjected to a frontal displacement test that is carried out at 64 km / h. David Ward, Chairman of the Towards Zero Foundation, said: “There is no place for zero rated cars in the Indian market. It remains a great disappointment that a major manufacturer like Maruti Suzuki does not recognize this. “
The Maruti Suzuki S-Presso has zero stars for the protection of adult occupants. The result was predetermined even before the test could be performed, as the S-Presso only has one driver-side airbag and not two standard airbags. But there were more to disappoint him. The crash test dummies showed significant injuries to the neck and chest area. The structure or body of the car was also rated unstable, as was the area of the front footwell. The front seat belts have no pretensioners and the rear middle occupant does not have a 3-point seat belt. The S-Presso gets 2 stars for the safety of child occupants. But this score could have been drastically improved if the car had ISOFIX child seat anchors as standard and if Maruti Suzuki recommended the use of child restraint systems (CRS).
The Maruti Suzuki S-Presso has earned a disappointing zero star for adult protection and 2 stars for child safety
Alejandro Furas, Secretary General of Global NCAP said: “It is very disappointing that Maruti Suzuki, the manufacturer with the largest share of the Indian market, offers such a low safety performance for Indian consumers. Domestic manufacturers such as Mahindra and Tata have demonstrated high levels of safety and security for their customers, both achieving a five-star performance. It is surely time for Maruti Suzuki to demonstrate this commitment to the safety of its customers ”. Maruti Suzuki responded to carandbike’s inquiries, saying: “Safety is a critical issue and therefore tightly regulated by governments around the world as they are responsible for the safety of the people in their countries. No it can be left to the opinion of any self-proclaimed “The Government of India has recently increased the rigor of car accident testing standards and made them identical to European standards. All of the company’s products fully comply with these global standards and are properly tested and certified by the Indian government. “
The crash test dummies on the Maruti Suzuki S-Presso showed significant injuries to the neck and chest area.
Read also: Maruti Suzuki S-Presso review
India’s second-largest automaker has also performed poorly on Global NCAP, but now the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios has received a respectable 2-star rating for adult occupant protection. While the 2 stars are not worthy of admiration, it shows some attention to safety, such as the use of double front airbags and front seat belt pretensioners as standard. But also in this case the bodywork and the footwells were considered unstable. The crash dummies showed non-fatal injuries to the lower half of the body. But the head and neck were well protected, while the chest was also reasonably protected.
The Hyundai Grand i10 Nios got 2 stars for the protection of adult occupants and children in the crash test.
In child safety, the Grand i10 Nios obtained 2 stars. Lack of ISOFIX and refusal to recommend a CRS for testing affected this score. Global NCAP deemed this “raised questions about the automaker’s policy and the relevance of child occupant protection to the Indian market.” The Nios also does not have 3-point seat belts in all positions. Our inquiries regarding this result have not been answered by Hyundai Motor India at the time of this report.
Read also: Hyundai Grand i10 NIOS review
The crash dummies of the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios showed non-fatal injuries to the lower half of the body.
The third car tested was the best-selling Kia Seltos. The compact SUV has been a great success as Kia’s first model for India. Seltos has received 3 stars for the safety of adult occupants and 2 for the protection of children. Dual airbags, standard ABS brake pretensioners helped it get its good score. While its bodywork also got a shaky rating, it was borderline, Global NCAP says, showing some room for improvement, likely through minor changes. However, the driver’s legs and feet show injuries due to unstable footwell. Head, neck and chest protection are accepted. Also in this case, Global NCAP expressed disappointment that Kia India did not recommend CRS for testing either.
Read also: Kia Seltos review: the new benchmark for compact SUV
India-spec Kia Seltos has earned 3 stars for adult occupant protection and 2 for child occupant safety
The Seltos test showed limited protection for the head and neck of the 3-year-old doll, while the 18-month-old had adequate protection. The Kia Seltos car also does not offer standard 3-point belts for all seats and does not have ISOFIX anchors as standard. carandbike has contacted Kia Motors India, but has not received a response to our inquiries at the time this report was submitted.
The driver’s legs and feet show injuries due to unstable footwell, while head, neck and chest protection on the Kia Seltos is acceptable.
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The Safer Cars For India crash test program has seen Global NCAP conduct 38 tests on Indian-made cars since 2014. Today’s results bring that count to 41, with a total of 35 models being tested. Some car models have been tested more than once.
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