Global NCAP’s latest round of crash tests saw Nissan Magnite, Renault Kiger, Honda Jazz and Honda City securing four stars
The #SaferCarsForIndia campaign was introduced by Global NCAP in 2014 and over the last eight years, more than fifty models were evaluated. In the latest round of assessments, the organisation crash-tested the Nissan Magnite, Renault Kiger, Honda Jazz and fourth generation Honda City, and all of them came out with flying colours as they were awarded four stars.
The safety standards have certainly improved in India since 2014 and customers are giving high priority to well-built vehicles as we have seen new cars under Rs. 10 lakh increasingly scoring five stars in recent years in the GNCAP assessments. David Ward, President of the Towards Zero Foundation said, “For some Indian manufacturers this has become a must have validation of their commitment to safety.”
He further acknowledged the Indian government’s move to make six airbags as standard fitment: “We warmly welcome the Indian government’s proposal to require six airbags in new cars. Together with the introduction of our new assessment protocols in July this year, the combination of regulatory push and market pull will continue to help shape a market for safety in India.”
The base spec Nissan Magnite received four stars for adult and two for child occupant protection and it had dual front airbags and anti-lock brakes as standard. The assessment saw the compact SUV showing a stable structure and marginal protection to the driver’s chest. It is sold without ISOFIX anchorages for the Child Restraint Systems (CRS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), side head impact protection and three-point seatbelts at the rear as standard.
In a similar fashion to the Magnite, its Renault sibling, the Kiger that sits on the CMF-A+ platform secured four stars for adult occupant protection and two stars for child occupant protection with the same entry-level specification. It showed unstable structure and marginal protection to the driver’s chest.
The Honda Jazz gained four stars for adult and three stars for child occupant protection. The base spec fitted with dual airbags and ABS showed a stable structure. While the premium hatchback does not have ISOFIX anchorages and the CRS were tested using the adult seatbelts. The Japanese manufacturer decided to install both child dummies in a rearward-facing position following global best practices.
The fourth-gen Honda City achieved four stars for adult and child occupant protection and it was tested in its low-end specification too with dual front airbags, ISOFIX anchorages and ABS. It showed an unstable structure and footwell area but good child occupant protection courtesy of the ISOFIX anchorages and the rearward facing position of one of the child dummies.
Global NCAP tests frontal crash protection for occupants currently while the side-impact, ESC and pedestrian protection tests will be part of the updated assessment protocols in India from July 2022.
