Safer cars for India
Made-in-India cars have upped their game in safety, as the latest GNCAP ratings show
CARMAKERS ARE FINALLY GIVING safety its due importance in India. We have seen Tata, Mahindra and even Maruti Suzuki join the #SaferCarsForIndia initiative and now, Renault, Nissan, and Honda have followed suit. The Global New Car Assessment Program has reached the milestone of having tested 50 cars made for the Indian market. The latest include the Renault Kiger, Nissan Magnite, Honda Jazz and the Honda City. All four cars have achieved four stars in the safety tests overall. All four cars were tested in their most basic trims, which meant that they were fitted only with two front airbags and an ABS system. The Renault Kiger and Nissan Magnite share the same platform and scored four stars for adult occupancy. However, a closer look at the stats will reveal that the Magnite scored marginally less than the Kiger in the adult safety occupancy category — it scored 11.85 points out of 17.00, while the Kiger bagged 12.34 points for the same. But in terms of child occupant safety, it was the other way around. The Kiger fell down to 21.35 points out of 49.00, whereas the Magnite managed to score 24.88. Both cars scored two stars for child occupancy.
The other two cars from Honda — the Jazz and the City scored 13.89 and 12.03 out of 17.00 on the adult occupant safety class respectively. In the child occupant safety class, the Jazz bagged 31.54 out of 49.00, while the city grabbed 38.27. Overall, the Jazz earned a threestar child safety rating. Meanwhile, the Honda City scored 12.03 out of 17.00 for adult safety, and 38.27 out of 49.00 for child occupant safety, which gave it a four-star child safety rating and made it the safest ranked car among these four for child safety. It is important to note that the City used in this test was the fourth-gen model, which continues to be sold in India alongside its new fifth-gen model.
It is heartening to see manufacturers mandate many safety features in India with the #SaferCarsForIndia initiative. Customers nowadays are well tuned into safety, and cars such as the Nissan Magnite, Renault Kiger and Honda’s City and even the Jazz have proved to prospects that they are safe options and ones to look out for if you’re considering buying a new car in their respective categories. ⌧