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Old 4th May 2021, 12:32   #1
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Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars

Let me tell you 6 undeniable facts about features:

1. Almost all common nice-to-have features were first offered in premium flagship cars, be it parking cameras, ABS, airbags, cruise control and so on. And it's not just features - even CRDI diesels, direct-injection turbo petrols and dual-clutch ATs made their debut on luxury cars before eventually coming down to <10-lakh rupee models.

2. Eventually, the ones that manufacturers think will become popular are mass-produced, bringing their costs down rapidly. When mass production happens, that's when you see them getting common in the mainstream cars. I call it the "democratization" of features !

3. Whenever there is a fresh new car launch, the OEM wants to stand out and one of the easiest ways to accomplish that is via a snazzy new feature set. It only takes one manufacturer to create demand + buzz around a feature, for every other brand to follow. Case in point = the MG Hector & its panoramic sunroof. Now, it's become an expected feature for anyone spending 20 lakhs on an SUV / Crossover.

4. In rare times, the mass market brands beat luxury cars too! Case in point = Apple CarPlay & Android Auto which populated hatchbacks & compact sedans far earlier than it did the 50 - 75 lakh cars. Cheap-thinking BMW actually wanted to charge owners an annual fee for Apple CarPlay!

5. The Koreans (Hyundai-Kia) are generally the first-movers in bringing technology from the Germans to the mass market. You can send a thank you note to them.

6. Downside? With more features & tech coming to cars, you can expect prices to keep rising.

Therefore, if you want to know what features will become common in the mass-market cars of 2025 - 2030, you only need to look at the premium cars of today, then apply some thought & logic to which might get popular in mainstream segments tomorrow. Here are the features that I think will be seen in 6 - 14 lakh cars in the coming decade:

ESP
Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars-1.jpg

Just like ABS is saving lives today and has been made mandatory by the Indian government, so too will ESP. ESP is a life-saving technology that can help even a newbie driver if the tyres start to lose their grip in corners or during an emergency manouveur. The technology is fast becoming commoditized in India. It is cheap, mass-produced and you will definitely see it in budget hatchbacks tomorrow. Proof? The Maruti Swift recently added ESP to its offering . I'm betting big on ESP.

Front Camera + Parking Sensors
Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars-2.jpg

You can get a factory-fitted reversing camera even in cheap Marutis & Hyundais today. The same democratization of "visibility" will happen at the front end. Although small cars don't really need a front camera due to their size, this is a feature that will be appreciated by newbies & first-time car owners for sure. The hardware is already dirt cheap. I'll go a step further and say that 360-degree cameras are going to see a jump too (already available in the <9-lakh rupee Nissan Magnite).

An impressive sound system, perhaps even a subwoofer
Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars-3.jpg

Tata took the lead here by providing really good ICE setups (for the price) in cars like the Tiago & Nexon. You can almost feel the pressure on other manufacturers as customer expectations have risen. I feel that better quality sound from 6 speakers will become ubiquitous in the cars of tomorrow, similar to how a good camera is expected from even 15 - 20k smartphones. Subwoofers - which make a HUGE difference to the sound quality - will also enter many more cars. IMHO, a great sound system is the easiest way to differentiate your cabin. And it's more enjoyable than a panoramic sunroof for sure as the owner can use it for 100% of his driving time. As someone who lives on music and test-drives all mass market cars, I couldn't be happier. Nothing quite like a very early morning, a new important car, an empty highway and good speakers.

More Airbags
Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars-4.jpg

Thanks to GNCAP and some responsible media platforms (like Team-BHP ), the customer is becoming a lot more safety-conscious. Considering the high fatality rates on Indian highways, well, better late than never is all I can say! Due to them becoming mandatory in India (driver-side airbag), production has already been ramped up like anything and airbags have become cheap to buy for the OEM. I expect to see 4 - 6 airbags in more hatchbacks. We'll have to wait for the next-generation launches though, as it's not easy to add airbags to an existing model. Got to appreciate brands like Hyundai & Ford for offering 6 airbags in their compact cars much before anyone else did.

Safer Structures
Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars-5.jpg

Further to my previous point, customer awareness, government legislation & bad press (especially) is going to force manufacturers to offer structurally safer cars. Nothing ruins a manufacturer's sleep more than negative media articles, and there's no one better to force them to do something than a government order. The OEMs have realised that safety is slowly becoming more & more important to customers, and are planning their next-generation cars accordingly.

Better Automatics
Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars-6b.jpg

Today, the AMT is more or less the standard AT in cheap cars, thanks to the big guys like Maruti, Hyundai, Tata and gang selling them by the thousands every month. But customer satisfaction isn't high, owner complaints are frequent, the driving experience poor and long-term reliability remains patchy. ATs are a new thing for India's mainstream customer today as we have traditionally been an MT market. But as the customer becomes more mature & accepting toward ATs, he is going to demand a proper, smoother AT. After all, if a proper AT costs 1 lakh and an AMT is for 45k, what is the difference of 55k in EMI terms? Hardly anything in the 5 year loans which are popular with today's car buyers.

Ventilated / Cooled Seats
Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars-7.jpg

This will take a bit of time, and won't become as common as say, ESP or more airbags. But more cars are going to get this feature for sure, especially the ones that can command a little premium in the showroom (B2 hatchbacks, Compact SUVs, MPVs). Ventilated seats aren't just nice-to-have, they are also incredibly useful in the hot Indian summers & greatly elevate comfort levels, especially on long drives. Here's a good discussion on the topic. Among owners of cars with ventilated seats, the feature has a near 100% satisfaction rating. You can be rest assured that car manufacturers have taken note.

LED Headlamps
Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars-8.jpg

Their costs have fallen, the technology is far superior to halogens & bi-xenons, and Maruti even offers LED headlamps in cars like the Baleno! I feel LED headlamps will eventually become like "halogen" units and you'll see them even in models like the S-Presso / Santro. Vid6639 adds that the mass market will most likely see the reflector LEDs, and not projector-type LEDs which are more expensive (e.g. Seltos gets reflector LEDs as well). Vid6639 says that, post LEDs, laser-guided headlamps like in the latest BMWs, will become the next big thing in 10 years. You can bet that the 2030 Hyundai Creta will feature laser-guided eyes!

Digital Instrument Clusters
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Thanks to smartphones, the price of digital screens has fallen so rapidly that I feel it's cheaper for an OEM to offer a digital cluster than an analogue one! I hate this trend as I prefer pure & classy analogue dials, just as I do with watches. I feel that analogue dials add a certain classiness to the cabin if done well. A majority of BHPians also prefer traditional dials over digital ones. Hope manufacturers don't blindly jump onto this trend!

TPMS
Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars-10c.jpg

So good! You can thank the Chinese for mass-producing TPMS kits. Simple, cost-effective, a life-saver (on highways especially) and money saver (longer tyre life). TPMS will soon become as ubiquitous as touchscreen head-units are today. In fact, thanks to touchscreens (which also serve as a display for other functions), TPMS will penetrate deeper into the economy segment.

Wireless Phone Charging
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I hate the technology as it stands today, but as with any new tech, it is fast evolving and will become the standard one day. Thanks to Bluetooth, no one uses AUX cables for audio anymore. It'll be the same with wireless phone charging. It has already entered the VFM segments via the Sonet & Magnite, while Maruti (Vitara Brezza) & Renault (Kiger) are offering the same as an official accessory.

Rear Sunblinds
Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars-12.jpg

Almost every luxury car has a retractable sunblind on the rear windscreen. This feature has become all-the-more important since the sunfilm ban by the Supreme Court. The rear sunblind greatly elevates comfort levels for rear passengers and as an added bonus, it makes the car look bad ass from the rear too (tinted glass look). Not just the rear windscreen, I believe that sunblinds will soon be coming to rear windows too.

Ambient Lighting
Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars-13.jpg

Am surprised this isn't already standard in Maruti Altos! Reason = LED strips are dirt cheap today and for a tiny price, they can transform the look of your cabin at night. Improving the interior ambience is important to cheap cars with cheap interiors. I just hope manufacturers don't go overboard by making their cabins look like a Diwali night! And at the very least, please do make the brightness levels adjustable via the soon-to-be-standard touchscreen ICE.

Automatic headlamps & wipers
Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars-14.jpg

Imagine a product planning meet going like this - "does it offer convenience?". Yes. "Does it add value to our topmost variant?". Yes. "How's the pricing from our suppliers?". Dropping fast. You can bet that top variants of hatchbacks will offer auto headlamps & wipers one day. The feature is already commonplace in Compact SUVs, while some hatchbacks too (e.g. Altroz) are equipped with auto headlamps & wipers. Coming soon to the mass market for sure.

Sporty bodykits
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Cars are increasingly becoming commoditized and the differentiation between same-segment cars is getting slimmer by the day. The space, power rating, equipment etc. is more or less similar in any C1 or C2 segment sedan today. The main differentiators are looks, brand & pricing. In their quest to stand out and offer more individuality to customers of the highest-trims, the smart manufacturers will start offering factory-fitted body kits. Toyota is the master of this and has sold really good kits on the Liva, Corolla Altis, Fortuner etc. The Sportivo 1st-gen Fortuner did sell better than expected, and was the inspiration behind the Legender. Customers of the topmost trims give the OEMs F-A-T profit margins, and I think they are going to entice more clients with sporty bodykits. But again, these will only be offered on the topmost variants. Inspiration taken from the AMG-line of Mercedes & M-Sport BMWs.

More Interior Choices
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In their quest for differentiation and to extract more money from buyers of higher variants, the big brands will definitely offer you a little more spice for your cabin. Think of tastefully done highlights (like Kia), interior panels that are body-coloured or contrast-coloured etc. Just like you get dual-tone exteriors. Further, I feel more manufacturers are going to give you cabin options on C2-segment sedans and crossovers. It's already available on many premium cars where darker interiors are matched to lighter body colours and vice versa. More customers will have the opportunity to choose from light or dark interior themes. All-black cabins will go up in popularity as well.

Paddle Shifters
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Paddle shifters are nothing, but nicely shaped buttons on the steering wheel. There is nothing mechanical about them, it is purely electronic commands and hence, cost-effective. I expect to see more Compact SUVs (just introduced in the 2021 Sonet) and C2 segment sedans (Verna 1.0 Turbo gets them) to offer them. Penny-pinching Honda too offers paddle shifters in the Amaze, as does Ford in the EcoSport. This will remain a premium feature though - like ventilated seats - and offered on the higher variants of cars that can get away with charging a premium.

Last edited by Eddy : 4th May 2021 at 12:58.
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Old 4th May 2021, 12:38   #2
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Re: Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!
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Old 4th May 2021, 12:54   #3
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Re: Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars

This is a huge challenge for premium car manufacturers. How to remain premium in these times of global supply chains where any technology gets commoditised quickly? They have to learn from Apple - how they retain the market leadership of iPhones.
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Old 4th May 2021, 13:08   #4
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Re: Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars

Two major factors that I can think of:

1. With the increase in scale of production, the cost of 'luxury' features come down within the limits of a mass-produced car.

2. To implement planned obsolescence, companies have to add value to their products continuously. But a point would come when one can't add anymore without a major increase in price of the product or due to technological limitations. So do you differentiate between a 4th gen Honda City and its 5th gen if you can't upgrade its engine anymore?

A point to ponder here. While the cost of the cars haven't risen drastically even with such 'luxury' features, what about the cost of parts?

The cost of a sealed unit LED headlight of a Swift hatch costs 10-15k. The cost of the halogen unit of the same or previous generation Swift would cost ~5k. Extended warranties can save us for 5-7 years but after that, cars could become more expensive to maintain than what we have experienced earlier.


On a side note, we have a similar thread already:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...rket-cars.html (Slow trickle-down of luxury car features to mass market cars)
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Old 4th May 2021, 13:21   #5
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Re: Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars

I would prefer the Tesla Cam sort of arrangement for drive data record.

Tesla Sentry Mode is another useful OEM security features that I would love to see on my future vehicles.

360 degrees camera is quite useful for parking in congested areas.


Just my 2 cents.
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Old 4th May 2021, 13:31   #6
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Re: Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars

Great thread!

We are already seeing many of these features trickling down a segment or two and this will only make things better in the years to come for cheaper cars!
Just hope that our market's biggies don't compromise further on safety/build quality to keep margins in check.

Although not exactly a feature, I would love to see more customization options in the future. The way it works in the west, you can play around online and get the exact build with the exact features you want in your car - for a price (the extent of customization available is really mind boggling in some cases).
You can actually have a car that is uniquely yours and pay only for the nice-to-have features that you want. Don't want a sunroof but really need ventilated seats? Easy in such a case!

Would be good to see that in mass market cars in the future in India too!
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Old 4th May 2021, 13:54   #7
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Re: Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars

Quote:
Originally Posted by androdev View Post
They have to learn from Apple - how they retain the market leadership of iPhones.
I don't think there is anything special to be learnt from Apple here. Apple already lost the market leadership in terms of sales volumes a long time ago (they are currently at 14-15%). Apple's strategy is built on 'high price for the logo', which is its #1 most important feature. This game is also played by tonnes of premium / luxury brands out there.

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Old 4th May 2021, 14:12   #8
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Re: Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars

Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post

Rear Sunblinds
Attachment 2152315

Almost every luxury car has a retractable sunblind on the rear windscreen. This feature has become all-the-more important since the sunfilm ban by the Supreme Court. The rear sunblind greatly elevates comfort levels for rear passengers and as an added bonus, it makes the car look bad ass from the rear too (tinted glass look). Not just the rear windscreen, I believe that sunblinds will soon be coming to rear windows too.
This feature is one of the most underrated and highly useful. My Creta has the rear sunblinds and it does look neat. Also the heat reduction and privacy it provides is really good. I hate those vacuum stick on type sunblinds, they look ugly and lose their shape in time. Manufacturers should provide these creature comforts as optional extras rather than those chrome garnishes and what not. I would happily pay 20k more to have factory fitted UV cut glasses than some stupid chrome accessories.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shreyas_H View Post
Great thread!

Although not exactly a feature, I would love to see more customization options in the future.
Would be good to see that in mass market cars in the future in India too!
Indian manufacturers should start offering customisation. There are many who want all the features of top model without the auto transmission but they can't have it (looking at you Hyundai, Kia). There are many who don't want the sunroof but the top model has it so there's nothing they can do about it except pay for that thing which they don't like Frustration:

Last edited by Akshay6988 : 4th May 2021 at 14:18.
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Old 4th May 2021, 14:27   #9
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Re: Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars

Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
The Koreans (Hyundai-Kia) are generally the first-movers in bringing technology from the Germans to the mass market. You can send a thank you note to them.
Indeed. After the (for me) unaffordable Mercedes CDI range of common rail diesel engines back in the beginning of the century, the first people to bring in CRDi engines in mass market cars in India were Hyundai, with their Accent & Accent Viva in 2004 (Elantra and Tucson were luxury cars of their times).
Quote:
6. Downside? With more features & tech coming to cars, you can expect prices to keep rising.
Not just prices, but ease (& cost) of repairing gets progressively worse.
Quote:
ESP
Not just ESP, but other acronyms like EBD, ARP (Active Rollover Protection (ARP) : What is it?), TC are making their appearance in mass-market cars.

Quote:
Better Automatics
...
Paddle Shifters
The demand for AT in mass market cars has been minimal in India, but is gradually picking up among owners who drive themselves. It will be many years, though, for AT 'boxes to penetrate into lower versions of mass-market cars. And paddle shifters are a part and parcel of the AT package, though I wish someone designed a paddle shifter system for MT 'boxes.
Quote:
TPMS
The Mahindra Scorpio was, IIRC, the first Indian mass-market car to feature built-in internal TPMS from the factory - and what a life-saver it had been for me, during the 9.5 years I've owned one. With TPMS systems being as cheap as they are, it is a surprise that very few people adapt it in India still.
Quote:
Automatic headlamps & wipers
Again, these two features were part of the Scorpio as far back as 2008-09. As also the automatic start-stop system, that is progressively becoming a feature of mass-market cars, but has more to do with emissions regulations than any convenience to the owner or driver.

Another feature to make its way into cheaper cars is the auto-dimming IRVM and electrically adjustable & electrically folding ORVMs. The first time those features were seen was probably on the Daewoo Cielo, in the 1990s.

And how can we forget the keyless entry and Push button start, eliminating the conventional key and the need to hunt for it?

Automatic trunk / hatch openers are another feature from high end cars that is rapidly being adapted into mass market cars too. Wave your foot to celebrate this ultra-convenient feature!

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Old 4th May 2021, 14:53   #10
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Re: Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars

Quote:
Originally Posted by vipul_singh View Post
Apple already lost the market leadership in terms of sales volumes a long time ago (they are currently at 14-15%).
Neither Apple nor premium car manufacturers want to be the market leader by volume.

Quote:
Apple's strategy is built on 'high price for the logo', which is its #1 most important feature. This game is also played by tonnes of premium / luxury brands out there.
Quote:
I don't think there is anything special to be learnt from Apple here.
Everyone wants to play that game, but they have to learn to win it from Apple. That logo must represent something for customers to pay premium. In the context of this thread where technology gets commoditised so fast, the days of giving cutting edge features to be recognised as a luxury brand are long gone.
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Old 4th May 2021, 15:06   #11
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Re: Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars

Nice thread GTO!

One feature, if we can refer it as a feature, trickling down to the mass market cars in 15-30 Lakh price range is ADAS (Advanced driver-assistance systems - Level 2 Autonomy) in next 3 to 5 years. Already the cars in this range are coming with plethora of electronics and sensors suite. With our rapidly improving infrastructure, we are not too far from the time when cars like 2023-24 Cretas, Seltos', Safaris etc. will be equipped with ADAS.
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Old 4th May 2021, 16:23   #12
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Re: Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars

My 2 cents below
  • I really loved the 360 degree camera when it was launched in Kicks, now it is available in Magnite and the quality and implementation of this is pathetic in Magnite.
  • I am all in for safety features in mass market cars, 6 airbags in a Seltos/Creta why not? Also what is the point of 6 airbags when body structure is labelled as unstable? Food for thought.
  • Sunroof in hatchbacks and sub-4 meter SUV's, sure why not? Implementation of Sunroof in many cars is again pathetic, prone to rust and water leakage. Impact on body structure? Maybe.
  • Matiz was our first car with A/C. However, the moment we turn on the A/C, the performance of the car used to drop. These days you don't find such issues, but again proper implementation is the key here.

It is inevitable, almost all features from luxury cars will be introduced in to mass market cars one day. However, half-hearted implementation of such features is a big let down. Luxury car manufacturer have to keep innovating to keep up their "Luxury" status, where as the mass market car manufactures would just end up copying them.
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Old 4th May 2021, 16:41   #13
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Re: Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars

I think the situation has changed and become lot more opaque over the last few years. Difficult to say premium features going to mass market cars. Few exceptions that come to my mind:
  1. T-Fortuner retails for close to 50L on road now, most would agree is a premium car yet doesn't have a sunroof, leave aside the panoramic sunroof offered by the Hector.
  2. Another example, most entry level BMWs don't offer ventilated seats. I think even the 5 series doesn't have it while you will get in a Hyundai Verna. Same holds true for connected car applications.
  3. Personally when I was taking delivery of my X1, realized that there is no proximity sensor or unlock button on the door handle. One has to unlock the car using the remote to get in while it does have a push button start. The sales consultant rubbed me further then saying this feature is given by BMW on the top range only. Heck, even the premium car manufacturers indulge in "feature differentiation" to this level
  4. Maruti is a mass market manufacturer yet doesn't offer any of the premium car features (no ventilated seats, connected car, etc.)


On a broader note, In today's environment, it's more of sub-20L cars being produced by feature focused manufacturers (Kia/Hyundai/MG) trying to stay relevant. It's just one of the ways to position your brand. There are other manufacturers like Mahindra who do it differently. Like offering the Thar with a proper 4x4 but no start/stop, connected car, etc.

Also it's heartening to see that the Indian consumer is increasingly considering safety to be a given than a feature

Last edited by sid_deb : 4th May 2021 at 16:51.
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Old 4th May 2021, 16:52   #14
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Re: Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars

Nice thread!

In the Indian context, I noticed a couple of bits about the way these features filter down to mainstream/mass-market models:
  • Comfort features or ‘visible’ features are easy to get mainstream compared to safety features. Rain-sensing wipers, auto headlamps were easy to catch-on, now I see the same happening with high-end audio, wireless charging etc.
  • Safety features, unless mandated by authorities may still be reserved for top-end variants. The NCAP testing results are indeed making some difference in this aspect, but still we have a long way to go. For e.g.; For many brands, ESP/ESC is still reserved for the top-end variants. Even something simple as a three-point seat belt for rear middle passenger is still not mass-market!
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Old 4th May 2021, 17:20   #15
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Re: Today's premium car features coming to tomorrow's mass market cars

Great thread GTO. I think the most important of all of these is the safety aspect to strengthen the structure of the mass market cars without significantly increasing the cost as the price point is the key reason a car continue to remains mass market for majority of first time buyers. This adoption is still to percolate down properly although here the exception have been some Indian OEMs like Tata as compared to Koreans.

I wish the price of hybrid tech also comes down to make the dream of mass market affordable hybrid cars a reality, something we believe in Indian context only MSIL can achieve.
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