[aniketi]

Unless and untill Government of India makes it compulsory to pass the crash test, it is not going to happen. Every manufacturer has to clearly say what star it has got in the crash test and basic safety should be provided in each and every car.

I guess soon we are going to get crash test compulsory in India as well. I hope it will be in effect soon & provide better safety to common Mango people.

[mi2n]

NCAP crash test videos:

European Swift :

https://youtu.be/6AC7VWkmo64

India made Swift :

https://youtu.be/PNUPHflTrRA

As a ready reference showing the difference in the pattern of impact absorption and structural deformation.

[Swapnil4585]

At the cost of going a long way off topic, I'd like to make a brave confession. I have had never considered buying any Maruti or Hyundai product, and have never suggested anyone to buy any of their products because I think that these two mass market manufacturers have from times the Indian car market was infant, set the buyers' tastes to buy cosmetically and aesthetically pleasing cars at the cost of safety, by pricing safety gadgets equipped cars very high, back in the day.

[hybridpetrol]

Originally Posted by mi2n

In the NCAP Youtube channel, one viewer asked the NCAP why they test the base variants?
"Because we want all cars to adhere to minimum safety standards" came the answer from the NCAP representative.

So, isn't the question paper already out?
If you want to get 5 star rating for your car, build a car with good structural rigidity + ABS + at least 2 Airbags.
If the base model needs to be low priced, skip all the "good to have" features. Omnis / Boleros still sell without AC & power windows, right?
I do not believe that adding these would result in a sudden huge price increase. Manufacturers know how to play their cards and when to pocket the profits.
The point is, nobody wants to make any efforts to get 5 star rating, while they can provide inexpensive attractive features and maximize their profits.
Manufacturers are not here for charity, they are here for doing business. Seat belts would have been provided only in Asta (O) and not on Asta, if that was not made mandatory by the Government!
So, Government, please set up an independent evaluation agency for crash tests and make 5 star rating mandatory!

[cs_rajesh]

Our public stresses so much on mileage figures that manufacturers market mileage figures boldly. And although ARAI tests vehicles on many parameters, the prime figures published are that of mileage. Why can't ARAI have a rating on safety just by looking at the construction design and provide a rating?

On the other hand, I as a customer would like to see full specification of the car, why not include the design specs such as cross beams for side impacts, gauge of sheet metal, etc. which can provide some idea of what the manufacturer has added keeping safety in mind. If not on the brochure, at least on owners manual, these details should be provided and that should be made mandatory by law.

In India, especially specifications are 95% on interior and exterior features and comfort and have no clear information on interior functional parts like for example the suspension parts, along with dimension and rating numbers. I would at least like to see detailed specification in an owners manual which would give me some idea of value the car provides in functional aspect, and not just the exterior beauty / comfort aspect.

[Contrapunto]

I don't agree that the Indian public is completely unaware. They may be unaware of the nuances, but almost everyone I have met is aware that stiffer shell and safety features make a car more secure, but when it comes to buying, they spend it on AVN, alloys and car seats than buying a safer variant, even where its available...

Does it take manufacturer-driven "safety campaign" to figure out that it is downright unsafe to sit with a toddler dangling on the lap in the front passenger seat? Or to cram a small hatch with 6-7 occupants and drive on open roads? Yet its almost standard operating procedure.

Its too frustrating. I cease and desist. This has been discussed ad nauseum. Unfortunately, T-BHP members are minority, and that's why India has one of the highest automobile fatalities in the world.

[rsm97]

This indeed is appalling. In last decade or so, we have observed volume of car sale exploding. However, the story turns bleak as it means more hazard on the roads.

As most believe, slack regulations necessarily are to be blamed. But I wonder how the manufactures can get away from his prime responsibility of providing a safe automobile on the road. Its pity that the biggies of Indian car market, who are at the least risk of loosing customer, are insistent on providing least possible safety features citing customer demand. And if the casualness extends to the structure of the vehicle itself turning questionable, I think it is nothing less than criminal on their part.

I have had the opportunity to visit showrooms of our two biggest manufactures a number of times. The knowledge, sophistication and approach of sales team varied from location to location. However, common trait has been that they are trained to focus attention on feel part of the vehicle. Forget safety, they don't touch even the drive quality aspect. In other words, the clever marketeers are telling us that luxury is in the start-stop buttons and touch screen infotainment. Airbags are secondary and essentially for certain paranoids.

Certainly a lot of awareness among customers is needed to change the situation. Don't see it coming anytime soon, so look forward to regulatory bodies doing a better job.

[prakhar1998]

Originally Posted by Contrapunto

I don't agree that the Indian public is completely unaware.
Its too frustrating. I cease and desist. This has been discussed ad nauseum. Unfortunately, T-BHP members are minority, and that's why India has one of the highest automobile fatalities in the world.

I am unsure as to what point you are trying to make? Were you aware of the fact that Hyundai's premium hatchback offering had a subpar structure?
The public has no choice but to decide their cars on the basis of these features as nobody is aware of the safety that a car offers. Its not ignorance, its powerlessness. I till now thought that Hyundai didn't degrade the quality of their international cars in India, and well, I am a BHPian.


Utterly disappointed from a company like Hyundai. Yes, its the same company that advertised a 5 star NCAP rating on its previous generation i20 only on the basis of its European counterpart achieving that rating. Its the same company that boasts that its Creta SUV has a highly rigid and safe structure. I am sure all that is made up crap too to fool the Indian public. The common man who has no way of knowing whether his family will come out safe in the other side of an accident.

Considering how much Hyundai has invested in manufacturing in India, I thought the company would have its international standards set in place, but alas. You can't even say these are the same cars, across nations. This situation gets on my nerves.

The fact that the consumer can't even be made aware of the quality of the product is extremely disappointing. We praise these companies for providing us soft touch materials in their interior because well its something we can test. But well, a cars structural rigidity, which we can't test ourselves is left on the will of these profit seeking mongrels.

Its not a question of the star rating due to no safety features. Nothing matters more than the cars structural rigidity. Just watch the cars structure crumble like a cookie under these test conditions. Just look at that roof bending, and that floor crumbling. Its disgraceful. I don't know how, and why these companies manage to degrade a cars structure, but I'm not in anyway risking my families lives by buying these deathtraps.

Companies like VW and Ford have demonstrated that its possible to provide the same level of structural strength in a price conscious market like India, and I feel extremely sad that these companies are not praised or even appreciated enough for not going down to the level of other "market-leaders" such as Maruti and Hyundai. The fact that these companies top our charts shows just how important it is for the government to come up with a car testing program ASAP and empower the population. We'll then see how the charts turn around then.

[Lalvaz]

Originally Posted by mayankk

So, if the word "expectations" is what you wanted to pounce on after a "find in page", let me put it out clearly.
Expecting a manufacturer to give you 1.5, when the law says they have to give 1, is laughable.
Expectation is from the government to be stringent with new laws to ensure safety reaches the public. When one of their ministers crashed, they fidgeted for a second, and now are back to sleep.

Please do not expect "ethics" from a business that targets maximum unit sold.

I was trying to highlight how people keep feeling that we as customers are wrong in having an expectation for a safe vehicle as compared to customers in Europe.

While you could have and ideally should have the government mandating the vehicle safety standards on par with the best in the globe, there is nothing stopping a manufacturer from volunteering to better the existing toothless standards, and surprisingly there are already a few manufacturers like Ford which are going a step ahead of what the law in India mandates.

We expect ethical conduct from all businesses that want our business, and all businesses obviously target maximum units sold. Business need not only be about cheating the consumer by knowingly making unsafe vehicles and hiding behind obsolete laws.

[Rover2000]

Originally Posted by Lalvaz

I was trying to highlight how people keep feeling that we as customers are wrong in having an expectation for a safe vehicle as compared to customers in Europe.

While you could have and ideally should have the government mandating the vehicle safety standards on par with the best in the globe, there is nothing stopping a manufacturer from volunteering to better the existing toothless standards, and surprisingly there are already a few manufacturers like Ford which are going a step ahead of what the law in India mandates.

We expect ethical conduct from all businesses that want our business, and all businesses obviously target maximum units sold. Business need not only be about cheating the consumer by knowingly making unsafe vehicles and hiding behind obsolete laws.

I totally agree with you Sir! I simply cant fathom how some members feel it is OK for manufacturers to manufacture cars hiding under weak government policies. Why this double standards? where is the ethics of the so called global manufacturers? Same views were spurted across in another forum relating to the Assam high court ban on small cars not meeting norms. It is quite sad to see that we are being taken for a ride!

[StepUP!]

What can you expect in a country where people protest against wearing helmet? "Educated" IT folks take out "forced" helmet as soon as they are out of company's campus and ride their bikes with helmet locked to the bike; They will mask their faces with 3 handkerchiefs but, will not wear helmet; when you ask to wear seat belts, first question asked is why? where is police?

Let me clarify I am in no way supporting exploiting attitude of any auto manufacturer. But let's face it. In India, there is no value to a "life". Because it is abundantly available. And absolutely no respect for the law because it is easily bought with money and power.

Government wakes up only when there are "enough" lives taken. It hasn't passed any law despite losing an MP in an accident, common man's life is far from taken into consideration. Proactive Government is a day dream.

A car, a bike is still a luxury or a need. But no one understands, it's a responsibility as well... indeed a lethal weapon on the road.

And thankfully we poor Indians have a choice to buy safer cars. That is where a manufacturer is differentiated and respected. Sad part is people bash them sighting lack of features, interiors, ASS etc.

[heavenlybull]

Originally Posted by prakhar1998

Nothing matters more than the cars structural rigidity. Just watch the cars structure crumble like a cookie under these test conditions. Just look at that roof bending, and that floor crumbling. Its disgraceful.

Agree fully! Right now there is no way to find out which car has a safe structure and which one has an unstable one. In the absence of crash test results for most Indian cars, terms like 'High strength steel structure' or 'High rigidity and body robustness' on a manufacturer's site has to be taken with a pinch of salt.

Its a shame that Grand i10 crumbles even worse than how the swift did a few months ago. Absolutely pathetic quality by Hyundai. It looks like Hyundai made even the chassis out of crumple zones

[isiv]

Think I've talked on similar lines earlier somewhere. Unless we as buyers completely shun unsafe cars, change will be slow to not at all.

To draw a parallel - who induced the Indian manufacturers to go completely bonkers on fuel efficiency? So much so that manufactures consider the fate of a product with low FE (but high safety) sealed at launch? Did the lawmakers do that?

BTW, tried looking multiple times at the video - if the car tested is the one targeted for India, why is it LHD? Or are my eyes deceiving me?

[akshat15]

Maruti and Hyundai should take a lesson from their European counterparts.. Just look at build quality of Skoda and VW, uncompromising! Even though they sell in low figures, they don't do cost cutting and are built like a tank and run like a jet. The Indian customer should also drop the three priority questions- kitne ki hai, kitna deti hai and kitne me bikegi (cost, mileage and resale) and focus more on the safety aspects of a vehicle. Having airbags and ABS alone won't suffice if the basic frame is not roadworthy.

[heavenlybull]

Originally Posted by isiv

if the car tested is the one targeted for India, why is it LHD?

Its a made in India car, but meant for Latin American markets like Chile.