The Tata Punch has officially been awarded a five-star adult occupant safety rating by Global NCAP.
The Punch, which is yet to be launched in India, received a five-star rating for adult occupant safety and a four-star rating for child occupant protection, thanks to its safety features, which include anti-lock braking system (ABS), electronic brakeforce distribution and dual airbags as standard, even though its does not get electronic stability control (ESC), and manages with a proprietary piece of tech that Tata calls “brake sway control”.
This makes the Punch the third product from Tata to receive such a rating after the Nexon and the Altroz. Tata’s other recent offering, the Tigor EV, received an overall four-star rating.
Global NCAP, which is a not-for-profit organisation registered in the UK, independently assesses safety levels in production cars. Its test parameters exceed the minimum crash test standards set by the United Nations. Its primary aim is to “support new car assessment programmes in emerging markets by offering technical support guidance and quality assurance”, says the organisation.
The Tata Punch, which the brand classifies as India’s first subcompact SUV (and has the credentials to prove it) is going up against the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Ignis and the Mahindra KUV100.
The Ignis has only received a three-star safety rating, while the KUV100 has not been rated by any new car safety assessment programmes (NCAPS) except India’s Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assessment Program where it received an overall five-star safety rating.
According to the Global NCAP website’s news forum, the base variant of the Punch was put through the crash test. Fitted with two airbags, ABS brakes and ISOFIX anchorages— the latter is the international standard for attachment points for child safety seats in passenger cars.
The statement by GlobalNCAP also said the safety levels can be improved by equipping the model with ESC as standard, along with standard side impact protection systems. This is primarily to encourage brands like Tata to incorporate such safety systems as Global NCAP’s standards are going to become more stringent in 2022. For cars to get similar results, they will have to have these features as standard.
For the moment, all variants of the Punch will not receive ESC, primarily to keep the ownership costs low. The Punch, scheduled for a launch on October 18, does not have a price tag yet.
The group also stated that “Tata’s decision to install both child occupant’s as rearward facing, demonstrates that this position offers the best safety option as both child dummies received good protection”.
David Ward, President of the Towards Zero Foundation, of which Global NCAP is a part, said “We are obviously delighted with Tata’s safety result in this voluntary test. Global NCAP encourages manufacturers to participate in our programme on a voluntary basis to help create a market for safety. It is very satisfying to see leading manufacturers like Tata and Mahindra engage so positively with our #SaferCarsforIndia agenda.
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