London: Global NCAP has tested a couple of new cars sold in India under its ‘Safer Cars For India’ initiative bringing the total to 41 till date.
The hugely popular Kia Seltos has received a 3-star rating, while Hyundai’s Grand i10 Nios received two stars, and Maruti’s S-Presso got zero stars!
The S-Presso had a driver airbag as standard while the other two cars had dual airbags.
For India, NCAP tests only frontal crash protection and doesn’t test side and pedestrian protection levels.
“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 Suzuki Maruti to demonstrate this commitment to safety for its customers,” Secretary-General, Global NCAP, Alejandro Furas told Autocar.
NCAP’s David Ward pointed out that Tata and Mahindra have done exceptionally well in producing 5-star rated safe cars.
To recap, Mahindra’s XUV300 has scored the highest 5 stars in Global NCAP tests. Tata’s Nexon and Altroz have also scored 5 stars.
Read More: Did You Know That 8 Out Of 10 Top Safest Cars Are Indian!
