Maruti Needs To Talk To Partner Suzuki To Understand What NCAPs Are Striving To Do,Says Global NCAP President

Global NCAP President and CEO, David Ward has sharply criticised Maruti Suzuki India Limited's (MSIL) response to the latest safety ratings for Indian cars. The Global NCAP president said that maybe Maruti, the Indian automaker, should speak to Suzuki, its Japanese partner, to understand what the New Car Assessment Programs (NCAPs) are striving to do globally. Ward was responding to MSIL's official statement on Global NCAP's crash test results for the latest round of made-in-India cars. Under the latest round, the Maruti Suzuki S-Presso scored 0 stars, while the Hyundai Grand i10 and Kia Seltos scored 2 and 3 stars respectively.  

Also Read: Another Zero Star Crash Rating For Maruti, Kia Gets 3 Stars For Seltos

The crash test dummies in the Maruti Suzuki S-Presso showed significant injury to the neck and chest area

Ward explained that the Indian testing standards - Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assessment Program (BNVSAP) - is based more on the global NCAP standards than the European ones. However, what companies like Maruti Suzuki are doing is the bare minimum to meet the safety requirements.

Speaking on the latest episode of Freewheeling With SVP, Ward said, "But, what they are doing is the bare minimum just to get passed on those tests. That the vehicle [S-Presso] only has a driver's airbag but when they make that patronising comment about third parties, it does sort of make me feel a little sad, because there are NCAP programs now in almost every part of the world. We work with a lot of them. These are not new programs. The first one in the US is 40 years old. So it's not like we've come out of the blue imposing some test on them. We are using absolutely well established, international best practice of NCAPs."

Maruti Suzuki has had consistently low scores in the Global NCAP tests with the exception of the Vitara Brezza that has received 4 stars

Kia Motors India and Maruti Suzuki responded to the ratings released by Global NCAP. The official statement from MSIL read, "Safety is a critical issue and is therefore closely regulated by governments around the world as they are responsible for the safety of the people in their countries. It cannot be left to the opinion of any self proclaimed party. The Government of India has recently increased the stringency of car crash test standards and made them identical to European standards. All products of the company are fully compliant with these global standards and duly tested and certified by the Government of India."

Also Read: Global NCAP Head Urges Maruti Suzuki To Manufacture 5-Star Safety Rated Cars

Responding to MSIL's statement, Ward said, "Looking at it from the point of view of less Maruti and more Suzuki. Suzuki would never ever dare say something like that about the Japanese NCAP, which they are completely used to and work with. So Maruti needs to talk to their partner Suzuki and understand better what the NCAPs are striving to do and maybe they might not be as patronising about the program. Maybe they will see it as an opportunity or maybe they will level with people and say 'we built to the minimum standards. It's kind of bargain-basement, make your choice.' But don't try and throw sand in the air, trying to disparage what we are doing, because all we are trying to do is give consumers more information and a better benchmark of safety. And that would be a good way to conduct this whole business. Let's just be honest with everybody about what's regular true performance, what we're trying to do and live with the consequences, and in the end, trust the consumer to make the right choice."

carandbike has reached out to Maruti Suzuki on the comment made by David Ward and will update this piece as soon as we have a response.

Also Read: Reaching for the Stars: Why Global NCAP Pushed Safer Cars For India Project

Volkswagen was the only automaker to withdraw the non-airbag variant of the Polo after the 2014 Global NCAP results and introduced dual airbags as standard

The first made-in-India cars were tested by the Global NCAP in 2014. This included the Tata Nano, Maruti Suzuki Alto, Hyundai i10, Ford Figo, and the Volkswagen Polo. All cars received 0 stars by the independent testing agency. Volkswagen India was the first automaker to respond to the test ratings and withdrew the sale of the Polo's non-airbag version from the Indian market. The car was subsequently re-tested with dual front airbags and managed to score 4 stars.  

The tests also finally necessitated a new and improved vehicle safety standard for the Indan market which was introduced in 2017 as the BNVSAP. The first set of new cars were complied with the new standard, while all existing cars were upgraded to the new regulations by 2018. Global NCAP is of the opinion that safety features like Electronic Stability Control (ESC) needs to be mandated as standard fitment along with dual front airbags, three-point seatbelts with pre-tensioners for all occupants, as well as ISOFIX mounts for Child Restraint Systems (CRS).

Adding further, Alejandro Furas - VP & Secretary-General - Global NCAP, said, "Firstly, we don't hold results. If a result is poor in the test, we have to show it to the consumer. Secondly, the Suzuki [example ] would be a nice question to ask, on what they have to say. Because the Suzuki Swift is a very popular model in India and comparing it to the same model in Europe, how come they sell it in Europe with six airbags, ESC and many other technologies? And whenever they come to India, they offer it in a different condition. Therefore, if the question of safety is so important to them, probably they should offer in India the same basic safety level as they offer in the European version of that car, and they know that car pretty well."

Also Read: Tata Altroz Gets 5 Star Crash Rating From Global NCAP

The Mahindra XUV300 is India's highest rated car in the Global NCAP results with a 5-star rating

However, the Indian vehicle safety standards have come a long way since the first results in 2014. India now boasts of cars like the Tata Nexon, Altroz and the Mahindra XUV300, all of which have received a 5-star rating by the Global NCAP. Even existing models like the Tiago and Tigor were upgraded by Tata Motors to receive a four-star rating.

The Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza was also upgraded and received a 4-star safety rating. This is not to say that the cars meeting the basic Indian safety norms aren't safe at all. The standards though are different. The front impact test by BNVSAP is conducted at 56 kmph, whereas the same test by Global NCAP is conducted at 64 kmph. The results, therefore are different and the higher speed does make a significant difference in how the cars perform in the event of a crash.