[TusharK]

Consumer preferences are changing with advancements in technology. The primary criteria for purchasing a vehicle have also changed in recent times. Instead of features, safety has now become the top priority for Indian car buyers.



According to a report published by Grant Thornton, Bharat NCAP safety rating is now the first criteria during car purchases. 32% of buyers look for advanced safety as the primary factor over features, design, performance, and price.

The report also highlights the latest buying trends, with 40% of the buyers inclined towards purchasing hybrid vehicles. 34% would like to buy a petrol vehicle, 17% would opt for EVs, while only 8% would choose a diesel vehicle. It is said that the popularity of hybrids and EVs has gone up by 55% and 45%, respectively, in the last 2 years.

The survey found that more and more buyers are opting for premium models. Over 40% of new car purchases were consequent upgrades. 85% of respondents expressed readiness to explore high-end premium models, while 65% were ready to buy premium models over base models.

More than 3,500 individuals across various age groups and occupations took part in the survey.

Source: ET Auto

Link to Team-BHP News

[peddagunda]

3500 is a very small set of numbers to get to this conclusion. I suspect people in big cities would be more aware of safety. I don't think it is a major criteria in small towns and rural areas. They still would be thinking about mileage.

[ashivas89]

They SAY this but they will still park their 5 star Nexon at home and do school runs on their two wheeler with the kid balanced precariously with no helmet on... Don't trust Indians' response to surveys.

[YD14]

Originally Posted by peddagunda

3500 is a very small set of numbers to get to this conclusion. I suspect people in big cities would be more aware of safety. I don't think it is a major criteria in small towns and rural areas. They still would be thinking about mileage.

I am sure the survey is biased, but safety has gained popularity in rural areas as well among private buyers. Everybody is at least aware that Nexon is built like a tank and Maruti cars are not. It is just that it is not the only factor. The problem is in the entry segment there is no alternative to Maruti and in higher segments Maruti and Hyundai have been to do damage control by launching new models and new generations which don't carry the same unsafe stigma.

Also things like rusting issue in Nexon, Tata's unreliability or Mahindra's quirky design and lack of below 20L family cars do not help. Some of these maybe untrue, but that's just how public perception works.

[VellVector]

Originally Posted by TusharK

The survey found that more and more buyers are opting for premium models. Over 40% of new car purchases were consequent upgrades. 85% of respondents expressed readiness to explore high-end premium models, while 65% were ready to buy premium models over base models.

It doesn't look like this survey has been co-related with buying trends. The firm would have to do a study and see if vehicle safety really overrides features and price to the Indian buyer and to the extent that the survey claims.

Most people when surveyed will always claim that safety is their number 1 priority, but it doesn't translate when the buying decision comes down.

For eg, a guy I know who is a CXO in a large health care products company while discussing a safe car for his wife and kids, finally bought a variant of a car with only 2 airbags. Not the top variant with 6 airbags and other advanced safety features. His reason, was it saved a couple of lakhs and what was the chance that the other features were needed anyways.

While safety has definitely become a priority for many buyers, I think in India it still isn't the top priority for the majority of buyers.

[uditanshh]

Pretty sure the surveys are biased. Those who say safety is paramount are the ones driving triple seat without any helmet. Had safety been the most decisive factor for the Indian customer, then MSIL with their unsafe cars wouldn't have had a 40% market share and neither would Hyundai and Kia have 14% market share with most their cars rated not more than 3 stars. 5 Star BNCAP Manufacturers like Tata would not have been observing declining sales due to their poorly engineered cars.

An average Indian customer might be feature-centric, fuel efficiency oriented or even design obsessed but I don't think safety is a deal breaker as these survey portray it to be.

The 5 star rated CURVV and CURVV.EV could only manage a cummulative 8K units sales whereas the 3 star rated Creta has consistently selling 15K units since god knows how long. So much for safety being important.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by uditanshh

Pretty sure the surveys are biased. Those who say safety is paramount are the ones driving triple seat without any helmet. Had safety been the most decisive factor for the Indian customer, then MSIL with their unsafe cars wouldn't have had a 40% market share and neither would Hyundai and Kia have 14% market share with most their cars rated not more than 3 stars. 5 Star BNCAP Manufacturers like Tata would not have been observing declining sales due to their poorly engineered cars.

An average Indian customer might be feature-centric, fuel efficiency oriented or even design obsessed but I don't think safety is a deal breaker as these survey portray it to be.

The 5 star rated CURVV and CURVV.EV could only manage a cummulative 8K units sales whereas the 3 star rated Creta has consistently selling 15K units since god knows how long. So much for safety being important.

You seem to ignore the reliability aspect. Maruti cars are neither cheap to buy nor to service with regards to the competition. But they sell due to their image & long term reliability which many of other manufacturers with 5 stars rated cars like Tata, Mahindra, VW and Skoda can only dream of at this point of time. Indian consumer is not explicitly looking for safety. It should not come at cost of reliability as at times, even reliability can turn into passive safety.

[fhdowntheline]

Let us as a community, also not get caught in the quantitative rating judgement (3 vs 4 vs 5) . I guess we know by now , especially courtesy @ron178 and others, that there is a lot to it than meets the eye, notwithstanding the fact that the standards themselves keep changing whereby a 4 star rated car by previous standards may score less in the revised. And it also doesn't help that BNCAP has been in the closet so to speak, all of this year in spite of the hype.

[peddagunda]

Originally Posted by ashivas89

They SAY this but they will still park their 5 star Nexon at home and do school runs on their two wheeler with the kid balanced precariously with no helmet on... Don't trust Indians' response to surveys.

This is so true! I live in Bengaluru and there is no care for their lives, children's lives. Driving while talking on mobile (2 & 4 wheelers), No helmets, Triple riding, Kids standing out of sunroof. The list is endless. Safety only in paper.

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by ashivas89

They SAY this but they will still park their 5 star Nexon at home and do school runs on their two wheeler with the kid balanced precariously with no helmet on... Don't trust Indians' response to surveys.

Had me

Would have to admit with R C Bhargava's POV that an unsafe car is anydays safer than a two wheeler.

Will buy a desh ka loha vehicle, but will let the children pop their head through the sunroof, keep the kids on their lap in the front passenger seat and never ever use rear seatbelts or rear child seats.

[kaushikduttajsr]

I completely echo the thoughts majority of bhpians have shared here. Safety as a standalone feature doesn't sell. However, I believe that the awareness has spread, and all other things being the same, a mango man, will choose a car with better safety. A great example is Nexon, a well baked Tata product, that competes in a crowded space. It wins on safety.

But I completely agree, that the moment you step out of tier 1 cities, the awareness remains on paper. People will choose what gives them bang for their buck. For some it is mental peace, who will choose a Suzuki/Toyota. For some it is power and performance, who will likely choose a Mahindra. For some it is ability to show off, who will choose a thar/fortuner/scorpio.

It'll be interesting to see how poorly rated lifestyle vehicles do. Do you think Scorpio / Thar / Fortune sales would drop if they had poor safety ratings?

[SmartCat]

Sample size of 3,500 is not the problem, but very likely, it is an issue with sampling bias. That is, people chosen for the survey do not accurately represent the demographics of car buying public.

Brand/price getting such low priority is laughable. The entire survey is available here:
https://www.grantthornton.in/en/insi...y-2024-report/

[manincar]

Given 4- 5 options with safety as one of the options, mind will involuntarily select safety first in any survey. No one like to think they are compromising on safety while purchasing a product. But that doesn’t always translate into buying only 5 star rated cars.

Safety rating is not the only criteria while buying a car. Various factors including individual use case, sales and service availability, reliability, fuel efficiency, features etc are all considered. Many feel they are safe drivers and think they can manage safety even in a zero rated car also. So what they rate is basis their perception of safety rather than actual safety rating of the cars.

Let’s acknowledge that even a 5 star rated car is not safe in all the scenarios.

[RROD]

Indians love safety.
They also prioritise convenience and VFM.
I am taking this survey results with a bag of salt.

[9216]

Are Maruti cars really "unsafe"? Aren't they branded as unsafe just because body panels are thinner. Keeping aside crash test results ( I am not ignoring the importance of the results, they really ARE IMPORTANT ), do we have any statistics showing Maruti cars cause more injuries (or more serious injuries) or deaths per accident?