Mahindra’s highly acclaimed SUV, the XUV700, has just received a 5-star safety rating by Global NCAP. Tested in its most basic spec, the XUV700, fitted with two airbags, ABS and ISOFIX seat anchorages, scored five stars in adult occupant safety and four in child occupant safety.
Global NCAP, an independent, not-for-profit organisation based out of the UK, stated that the car’s safety credentials could be improved with the inclusion of side head curtain airbags, ESC and three-point belts in all seating positions (the XUV features seating for 7). Alejandro Furas, Secretary General of Global NCAP, stated that Mahindra is the first Indian brand to offer a vehicle that features Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) as a safety option, a feature which, according to him, goes a long way in mitigating crashes.
Thus far, Global NCAP has assessed 46 cars under its #SaferCarsforIndia initiative, which started in the year 2014. Over the years, it has observed a steady improvement in the safety ratings of cars, particularly from brands like Mahindra and Tata Motors, both of which have multiple cars in their portfolio with a higher-than-average safety rating. Prior to the testing of the XUV700, it was the Mahindra Thar, launched in 2020, that received a four-star rating in both adult and child occupant safety, while the XUV300 that was launched before it, scored five stars in adult occupant safety and 4 stars in child occupant safety. Even the Mahindra Marazzo, as per a 2018 test, scored 4 stars in adult occupant safety and two in child occupant safety.
Other brands like Renault took cognizance of its abysmal safety record, as per Global NCAP test and displayed a steady improvement in its safety rating, as evidenced by the 3-star adult occupant rating of the Renault Duster and the four-star adult occupant safety rating ( 3 for child occupant safety) of the relatively new Renault Triber. In the past, cars like the Renault Kwid (and the now discontinued Renault Lodgy) received anywhere between 0 to 1 star in adult and child occupant safety.
If there’s one brand that has consistently scored poorly over the years, it’s Maruti Suzuki, which as recently as November 1, scored 0 stars in both adult and child occupant safety, albeit in the Latin NCAP crash test, which has more stringent safety norms. However, even with the Global NCAP, the brand’s models including the SPresso (0), WagonR (2), Swift (2), Celerio (0) and Eeco (0) have performed poorly with the Vitara Brezza being the only exception having scored 4 stars in adult occupant safety. Other international brands like Hyundai Motors haven't fared better either, with best-sellers like the Grand i10 Nios (2 stars), Santro (2 stars) having performed poorly. Even Kia Motors’ highly popular midsize SUV, the Seltos, has received only 3-stars in adult occupant safety and two in child occupant safety. Given that all base variants of cars are used in the test, the average crash safety standard appears to have gone up after the government mandated dual airbags (driver and front passenger) for all cars. In a recent interview with Moneycontrol, Tata Motors’ President of Passenger Vehicle Business Shailesh Chandra claimed that an increasing number of customers are citing safety rating as one of the primary reasons they’re opting to purchase Tata vehicles. This, aided by declining sales from Maruti Suzuki points towards a paradigm shift in consumer preferences who value passenger safety as much, if not more than comfort features, utility and fuel economy.
Although the rule is yet to be enforced by law, manufacturers are offering dual airbags as standard safety equipment, along with ABS. As of now, the Mahindra XUV700 joins the Tata Punch as the safest cars manufactured in India, by an Indian brand, and the safest cars assessed by Global NCAP for India, whose focus has been on entry-level to budget cars in India, in a bid to boost road safety. Global NCAP testing standards are set to become more stringent next year, and will require base versions of cars to feature Electronic Stability Control as standard, in order to obtain similar results.
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