The Maruti Suzuki Dzire has scored a five-star safety rating at the Bharat New Car Assessment Program (Bharat NCAP). However, the Maruti Suzuki Baleno had a disappointing performance, garnering four stars in the latest round of safety tests.
The Dzire scored five stars each in the adult occupant protection category (AOP) and the child occupant protection (COP) category, with 29.46 points out of 32 in the former and 41.57 points out of 49 in the latter.
The Baleno received four stars in the AOP category, scoring 26.52 points and three stars in the COP category, with 34.81 points.
While the Dzire is the largest-selling sedan in India, the Baleno is the country's best-selling premium hatchback.
Both cars are based on Suzuki's fifth-generation Heartect platform and offer safety features like six airbags, electronic stability program (ESP), hill hold assist, anti-lock braking system (ABS) with electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), and a 360-degree view camera.
The Dzire is priced between Rs 6.84 lakh and Rs 10.19 lakh (ex-showroom), while the Baleno sits in the price bracket of Rs 6.70 lakh to Rs 9.92 lakh (ex-showroom). Last year, the Dzire scored five stars in the AOP category and four stars in the COP category at Global NCAP.
Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said: "It gives me immense pride to see Made-in-India high volume mainstream cars achieve exemplary safety ratings under the Bharat NCAP. This program incorporates rigorous and comprehensive testing and evaluation standards that are comparable to global safety protocols. It is aimed at raising safety awareness among customers in the country. I congratulate Maruti Suzuki on an impressive debut in Bharat NCAP, securing a 5-star safety rating for the Dzire."
"I am also pleased to see that Maruti Suzuki, a mass market manufacturer, has fast-paced adoption of six airbags as standard across all variants of models covering all the segments. Six airbags, from an entry hatchback to a premium SUV, is a significant stride by Maruti Suzuki towards vehicle safety. I am sure this will encourage other manufacturers to make six airbags a standard feature across all variants of their models," he added.
Under Bharat NCAP, the assessments are done based on the performance of any given car in three sections -- AOP, COP and safety assist technologies.
The cars undergo offset deformable barrier frontal impact test at a speed of 64 kmph, side impact test at a speed of 50 kmph and pole side impact test at a speed of 29 kmph. Based on their performance, they receive star ratings on a scale of one to five.
Maruti Suzuki MD and CEO Hisashi Takeuchi said that Bharat NCAP brings to India the stringent vehicle testing protocols that will help customers make informed decisions.
"I am delighted to share that today Maruti Suzuki has a wide portfolio of vehicles equipped with six airbags right from entry segment models like Alto K10 and Celerio to hatchbacks like Swift and Baleno to premium SUVs like Grand Vitara and Brezza. Within this year, Maruti Suzuki will be having all models across all variants equipped with six airbags as standard. In addition, well ahead of regulatory requirements, all our 18 models are equipped with ESP," he added.
Apart from the Maruti Suzuki Dzire, internal combustion engine (ICE) models like Skoda Kylaq, Kia Syros, Hyundai Tucson, Mahindra XUV 3XO, Mahindra Thar Roxx, Tata Nexon, Tata Curvv, Tata Saferi and Tata Harrier have scored five stars in both AOP and COP categories at Bharat NCAP.
Besides, electric vehicles (EVs) like the Tata Punch.ev, Tata Nexon.ev, Tata Curvv.ev, Mahindra XUV400, Mahindra BE 6, and Mahindra XEV 9e have garnered five stars in both AOP and COP brackets at Bharat NCAP.
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