Maruti Alto800 and Alto K10 to get Optional Driver Airbag from base variant soon
Maruti Suzuki has already made available both airbags and ABS as optional extras if the customers need them since late December 2015 on the Swift hatchback and its sub-4m sedan derivative, the Swift Dzire. Both the options are featured on the Z variants as standard but to fulfill the necessities of buyers, they’re offered with ABS and airbags on lower as well as middle variants with that decision.
The largest auto manufacturer in the country has offered several safety features as standard in its latest launches such as the Ertiga Facelift and the premium products S-Cross and Baleno hatchback. On the Baleno and S-Cross for instance, all variants get ABS(Anti-Lock Braking System) with EBD(Electronic Brake Distribution) and dual front airbags as standard features. Whilst on the recently facelifted Ertiga, Maruti is providing a driver airbag as standard and other features like ABS with EBD and an airbag for co-passenger are made available from the LXi (O) variant.
In the entry-level segment, customers have to switch for the VXi variants if they need a driver airbag amidst features like ABS with EBD and a airbag for co-driver are not being provided by the Indian car maker. Rumours surfaced earlier last year that the Indo-Japanese manufacturer has already been manufacturing the Alto 800 and Alto K10 with these features for a few overseas markets and soon it could be launched in India.
In order to improve safety in passenger vehicles, government has moved towards establishing a Road Safety Authority with a stringent road transport and safety bill will be put in place by central officials. The Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways and Shipping, Nitin Gadkari, announced at the ‘Road Safety Week’ that measures are on the horizon for safer road travelling and bringing down accidents by half from what it’s right now in the next five years.
This includes improving safety features on road cars by a significant amount with airbags and ABS to be made compulsory across all the segments. Maruti Suzuki has given the first nod and on an exclusive report we can reveal that entry-level best-selling Alto 800 & Alto K10 small hatchbacks will get driver airbag optionally soon starting from the base variant.
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