Safety Becoming A Top Priority For New Car Buyers: Survey

The automobile market in India has seen substantial growth in the past couple of years, with Indians getting more focused on specific aspects of the vehicle while making their next purchase. A study commissioned by Skoda Auto India and conducted by NIO BASES showed that 9 out of 10 consumers are inclined towards knowing the safety rating of the car they are interested in purchasing. The study also pointed out that according to the poll results, the top two features that people look out for in India are the crash test ratings of the vehicle and the number of airbags the vehicle offers. Surprisingly, fuel efficiency, which people think is the top priority, came in third.

The study was commissioned by Skoda Auto India and was conducted by NIO BASES

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The focus group for the study consisted of 67 per cent of current car owners who have owned a vehicle above Rs 5 lakh, whereas  33 per cent of the candidates didn’t own a car but intended to purchase one. Moreover, the focus group consisted of individuals aged 18 to 54 in the SEC A and B bracket, with 80 per cent of respondents being male and 20 per cent female. Also, with regard to the crash rating, 22.2 per cent of the consumer focus group voted for a 5-star rating. This was followed closely by a 21.3 per cent preference for a 4-star rating. Zero-star rating is the least preferred, with only a 6.8 per cent score.

The Volkswagen Group currently has the most 5-star rated cars in the country.

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Amrita Srivastava, Regional Director (APMEA), BASES Speciality Sales, NIQ BASES, said, “The survey, which was done using NIQ BASES solution – FPO (Feature Price Optimizer) based on discrete choice methodology, revealed that the customer places the safety feature of ‘Crash Rating‘ among the tested features, at the forefront of their purchasing criteria. The survey covered 1,000 people in 10 states across India. The states covered were Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh/Telangana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.”

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Car manufacturers in India too have been promoting vehicle safety, and many are striving to get a high safety rating for their vehicles sold in India. Some top manufacturers scoring a 4 or 5 Star GNCAP rating include - Volkswagen, Skoda, Mahindra and Tata Motors. Currently, the top 5 safest cars sold in India are – The VW Virtus/Skoda Slavia, VW Taigun/Kushaq, the Mahindra Scorpio N, the Tata Punch and the Mahindra XUV700.