[k_ajay]

Will be interesting to see what Maruti backers will bring to the table as arguments. Most likely an attack on other brands offering no better, uh?

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

I am pretty sure this will have no effect on the sales of the Swift much like "Happy New Year" is already a hit. We celebrate mediocrity. Shame on you Maruti!

You are right. There will be no stopping of people buying the India car. But why blame Maruti alone for this? Much of the blame needs to be put on those people who choose to buy the unsafe vehicle. Why would Maruti spend more when people are happy with what is offered.

I'm positive a few learned gents will now bring arguments such as 'what else can be buy', 'this is more safer than a 4 wheeler' and 'what can the common man do'.. If there is an unsafe car, one shouldn't opt for it. Period!

[civic-sense]

Should we revive the Swift vs Polo debate? Swift fans had always maintained that in the absence of crash test data of the Indian Swift it should be assumed that it is equally safe. That assumption has been proved wrong today. With a 4 star rating the Polo is much safer than the ZERO star Swift. Also, if this is the state of Maruti's largest selling car I wouldn't trust my life with any Maruti other than the CBUs.

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by vivriti

Why blame the manufacturer's alone ?. They are here to make a profit. If more consumers start buying cars with safety features such as air bags, ABS etc, the rest will follow.

I say what not? VW, Ford and Fiat are also here to do business? What makes them deliberately weaken the structure so as to make it lighter in the interests of economy? Please bear in mind that even with air bags and abs, it will still score only 3 stars because Maruti has decided to compromise on the structure of the car.

[karanraheja]

Originally Posted by vivriti

Why blame the manufacturer's alone ?. They are here to make a profit. If more consumers start buying cars with safety features such as air bags, ABS etc, the rest will follow.

Im just hoping a manufacturer doesnt read such posts. IF VW can make Airbags as standard in their "premium" hatch Polo why cant Maruti make it standard in their "premium" hatch Swift.

See this interview by Maruti Chairman. I would like to ask him how much more would it cost to add Airbag and ABS. Wonder how he got such a reputed post.

Maruti Chairman R C Bhargava had in an earlier interview to The Indian Express said, "We will start making cars that fulfil global safety standards. Then a large number of people will not be able to buy those expensive cars and will have to make do with two-wheelers. What is safer for him? Will his family be safer on a two-wheeler or a car that does not meet those high standards of safety? Our cars today meet Indian standards, which are based on European standards. You want even higher standards? At whose cost will it be?"

But Dinesh Mohan, the Volvo Chair Professor Emeritus at IIT Delhi, says safe doesn't have to mean expensive. "Safety features such as airbags, ABS (anti-lock brake system) and rear wipers would only add about Rs 20,000 to the cost of the car. But because it is not mandatory, car manufacturers provide these features only in top-end versions of cars and bundle it with other features making it expensive by over Rs 1.20 lakh, depriving the Indian car buyer of a variant that has safety features," he says.

Source : Financial Express

[arnabchak]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Not surprised at all. Whenever I saw the wafer thin body of the Swift, and the way it flexed, I used to wonder if it passed any safety test. Hope the next Gen swift is built tough.

@Sebring

I doubt if it is going to be any safer!!

With every passing model, the sheet metals and the glass gets thinner and thinner as companies look to milk their high selling models even more.

With the new model coming in, what do we get.
Just bling and no safety.

Keyless entry, Start stops etc.
Any Airbags/ABS/EBD- Unheard of in the mid and the lower variant(though Vdi gets an optional ABS now!!).

Maruti is a respectable company and the leader of the pack.
They should there fore lead the way and bring in best practices.

It is always important to be a revolutionary leader than an evolutionary one.

Maruti, right now focuses on the latter!!!

[extreme_torque]

I think as a community of enthusiasts who stand for safer cars, the official test drive reports of the cars in question should mention safety as being "unsafe". It is only fair I think. What say?

[CoolCarNi]

Originally Posted by StepUP!

I strongly feel along with fuel efficiency ratings, every car should come with how much it scores on safety aspect or NCAP crash test.

.

I agree. Let there be no base version without ABS/Airbags! Left with no choice people will be forced to shell more for their own safety.

I don't see money is an issue here. Otherwise we wouldn't find many posts on this forum and various others where people change/upgrade to new tyres in a brand new car, go for alloy wheels, change HU, 3D mats, spend decent amounts on detailing products..... I mean people are willing to spend on these cosmetic changes which add little by way of safety.

[sswaroop]

I was just discussing the safety issue yesterday when driving with my family. The govt regulator has to make it mandatory to have at least 4 or 6 airbags mandatory in all vehicles. ABS can still be optional I feel, at least need not be mandatory by regulator. I've only felt the need for ABS once in all these years and that too under distress braking from 140 to 0.

If the cost of the vehicles increases, so be it. It increases the cost of all vehicles and no manufacturer is at a disadvantage. Only if there is an option to the consumer will they take a risk and go for the cheaper option isn't it. Taking away that option is the best way ahead. Hopefully the new government takes some steps such as declaring all vehicles manufactured after 1/1/2016 or 2017 should include airbags and a road safety worthiness rating.

[turbospooler]

Originally Posted by volkman10

The Swift tested earlier by Global NCAP this year gets 3 star rating. This is built by Maruti for the Latin American market. The Indian Version (base variant) gets Zero safety rating .

The Indian Swift was a success as it was an Indian "hot-hatch ". But a speedy car with Zero NCAP rating is a potent mixture for accidents.

[Adi22]

Very sad indeed to see how Swift has got a zero. What changes b/w this and the euro ncap ratings which gave the swift a 5 star ?

Have seen/heard lot of swift/dzires save lifes with just seat belt ON (without ABS) in higher speed scenarios/frontal impacts.

[StarrySky]

Originally Posted by Su-47

Or, have the test-norms changed since the Euro version was tested? Insights welcome!

I think the test specs are updated quite frequently. In Swift's case, the rating review in 2013 also seems to have resulted in 5-star rating (link)

Also from the above link: "The passenger compartment remained stable during the frontal impact and the dummy readings indicated good protection of the knees and femurs of both driver and passenger."

[Ajitsingh208]

People don't really ignore the safe option, They are at most times priced out of their reach.
One can blame the public as much as they want saying, Look our ZXX variant isn't selling so no one wants safe cars.
What they don't mention is, That the ZXX is almost a lakh more than the other variants and it isn't just because of the AirBags and ABS, it's because of the fancy stuff that has been put in the car like leather upholstery, Touch screen System, Sensors and what not.

I think most of the people who go for the Top Variants do so only because of the Safety Features and not for the bells and whistles.
If they start providing the safety mechanisms from the lower variant itself, the numbers for the Top Variants would take a major hit which is bad for their business.
Hence, the flawed argument that Indian Consumers do not want it. We are not as stupid as they think we are. The only way this can be solved is if the Government brings a law, there's no other way in which the big companies will fall in line.

[coolboy007]

Would be interesting to see how the chasis and body shell of indian market Swift behaved in this crash. If atleast the structure survives and passengers have less injuries, then it would be a saving grace.

Polo and Figo had scored good marks in structural integrity. Indian swift with airbags received 3 stars, how much did the Polo get?

[chncar]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

Would be interesting to see how the chasis and body shell of indian market Swift behaved in this crash. If atleast the structure survives and passengers have less injuries, then it would be a saving grace.

Polo and Figo had scored good marks in structural integrity. Indian swift with airbags received 3 stars, how much did the Polo get?

That was exactly what the news item was about - Indian Swift (base version) scored ZERO on the NCAP test with fatal injuries in several places seen to the test dummy.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Guys, any car without airbags will receive only a ZERO rating in the crash tests. Why are we so surprised here?

Not only Swift, even the Ciaz V variants will get zero ratings. Hyundai Elite i20, Xcent and Grand i10 base variants will get zero ratings, same with TATA Zest, Mahindra Scorpio or whatever!

High time we make a pledge to only buy or recommend a car with Airbags (and ABS) IMO.