[advenk999]

The atrociously priced new i20 is marketed at 100 kilos lighter than the previous generation. With the power from the 1.0 T-GDi and the weight at around 900 something kilos, ( Power to weight ratio of over 100?) the safety aspect can be worrying. The previous Gi10 and i20 scored just 3 stars while the Nios is now just 2. One can expect similar results with the new i20 too.
It's a shame that Hyundai-Kia refuse to share the kerb weight unlike Tata and Mahindra, which share all information on their brochures.
Maruti and Hyundai-Kia need to take a page or two from the books of Mahindra and Tata on safety.
Charging 20+ Lakhs for the Seltos-Creta with a 3 star rating should be a non bailable crime!

[Dr.Abhi]

https://www.rushlane.com/amp/maruti-...-12383116.html

Now maruti is questioning the entire ecosystem in which GNCAP operates. Instead of admitting its mistake, these so called 'Reputable Companies' are blaming the GNCAP. I am asking who is responsible for all this mess. I think its the laxity on the part of our lawmakers. If our government can implement BS6 after such a hue and car of car makers, they can also make crash test compulsory.

[tj123]

I think the blame should be shared with the government and its certification agencies, along with the vehicle manufacture. Couple of fundamental question arises if the Indian vehicle safety standard or the Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assessment Program (BNVSAP) is at par with the global NCAP then why they are failing the test so badly ?
Every Indian manufacturer claims that they are complying with the standards laid down by Indian vehicle standard, so there is something fundamentally wrong or our standards so out of synch. Are our vehicles safety tests like other things in India is just a sham ?

[Godzilla]

This guy from car and bike almost sounds like a Kia employee who is giving an explanation.

One of the main reason why Indians are cheated by these manufacturers with sub-par products is because of the biased media.

This makes me love TBHP more. I really wish there is a version of TBHP to discuss general news along with politics which will act a source of truth. It is a moon shot but if that happens it will be a game changer.

https://youtu.be/oDfVFDhwYLg

[Red Liner]

What a route our firangi car industry is taking now.

Develop substandard harmful products, invest in research to prove it otherwise, spend like crazy on public relations and ads and fool everyone including their investors. Where else have we seen this?

Oh wait, big tobacco. Fast food. Alcohol. Pretty crazy eh?

[Sanidhya mukund]

Honestly, I am not surprised at any of these ratings. Just one look at the S-presso and you could tell that it simply hasn’t been designed with occupant safety in mind. Those thin tyres coupled with that narrow body and tall height clearly implied that it has been designed to topple. And as far as the safety features are concerned, they have been provided to meet regulations, nothing more.
As far as the Kia Seltos is concerned, I knew that it will score poorly, because When it was released, I remember somebody on the forum had pointed out that Kia has removed some structurally integral members from its Body in white (BIW) for the India spec.

While enough people have already pointed out how outrageous it is for Kia to sell such an expensive car with a compromised body shell, it is equally outrageous for me to see the Grand i10 NIOS scoring only 2 stars. Is it a cheap car? Not at all!
Looking at the price of the the top spec diesel, it costs almost 10 lakhs in Delhi and I am sure it is much more down south. Is 10 lakhs not enough for one to buy a safe car?
I always wondered what ‘NIOS’ meant, now I know that it means “No Intention for Occupant Safety”.

[swarnava.ch]

I was almost expecting this kind of a report. I am a Nios Owner who purchased the car just two months back. Infact I was fully prepared for this mentally as well so not surprised at all. I wanted to purchase the Altroz just for the sake of safety ratings however the only blocker was it does not yet have a Automatic.

Now coming to the actual issue itself and some of the comments above, I would like to add a few points from my side:
1. 6 Airbags does not mean 5 * rating automatically. There are cars with just two Airbags which have 4 * ratings.
2. Stable body shell is a must. Current Indian rules may be Lax but we have to trust GNCAP atleast for the crash test standardization and results.
3. TBhp represents a very small portion of the Indian Population who are "in to" cars and hence I see members who are concerned with the update here and who are giving this the due diligence, however for an average car buyer, still Features, Bling and Price matters. That is what sells in our market and its the truth.
4. We as a community need to make Safety a Priority and I agree with few other members who suggested that for our existing Official Reviews, we need to start adding Safety Rating aspects prominently so that the readers are appropriately informed.
5. I am not against any brand, if MS can make 4* Brezza, why cant they make other models 4* rated as well ?
6. Any global brand, cutting corners for our market and making compromises on safety is simply not acceptable.

[OSH]

Maruti Suzuki's official statement

Safety is a critical issue and is therefore closely regulated by governments around the world as they are responsible for the safety of the people in their countries. It cannot be left to the opinion of any self-proclaimed party. The Government of India has recently increased the stringency of car crash test standards and made them identical to European standards. All products of the company are fully compliant with these global standards and duly tested and certified by the Government of India," Maruti Suzuki India said in an official statement.

Source : India Today

[rageshgr]

Appalling to see this from the two leaders of the Indian automotive scene. If they decide they can totally change the face of the Indian automotive scene by proliferating a culture of safety first. But they continue to give us compromised variants and consumers are happy to lap them up because it gives high fuel efficiency and internet. Worst is, the Australian version of the Seltos has 5 Star rating. So the Indian version is specifically watered down.

In 2015, when I started the hunt for a new car, Safety was number one on my list and was appalled to note that most manufactures like Maruti, Hyundai and Honda didn’t give full features unless it’s the top end. Only the Polo, Figo and Brio passed this requirement. And hence went for the Polo whose safety was ahead of its times with 4 **** and still holds its own today.

High time the lawmakers, manufacturers and consumers wake up and realise that safety is paramount and every other gizmo can wait. It requires a collective shift

And yes we need to start mentioning Safety Ratings in the reviews and a poor safety rating in the cons.
Safety > Dealership and service experience.

Hoping for stricter laws, informed consumers, responsible auto makers and safer cars.

[SaiSW]

Small suggestion, time now for "questionable safety" to be added to manufacturers whose products so often perform shockingly in crash tests, like suzuki here, in the same way you can find "service is a hit or miss" and "service remains a gamble" under almost every Tata and Mahindra product review.

Originally Posted by AutoConsultant

A question though, where do the Honda cars stand? Haven't heard much about safety ratings of their products (apart from City 2020 which scored 5/5 in Asean NCAP)

The situation of honda is a bit weird. I was not convinced by last gen city's build quality but the new gen one has turned a corner it seems, the current Amaze also got 4 stars in GlobalNCAP crash tests. So I am guessing Honda has found its way into "safe" section to join the likes of Tata, VW, Ford etc.

[SNOWY227]

Someone should print this in the first page of the newspapers, and the general media should report it too, so that everyone is aware of this. This is getting ridiculous at this point. No one asks for an Air purifier over basic safety. Priorities people, priorities.

[nagr22]

First they designed a car whose brakes may not work during panic braking. And then added a bodyshell that is unstable which is most likely to kill you if one gets into crash due to brake failure. This makes the design complete!

If Marutis are called tincans, the perfect word for Kia/Hyundai is deathtrap!

I feel sorry for all those who brought these cars.

[samuelv]

I think it's high time the government / regulatory bodies step in and issue guidelines of minimum safety ratings that are required.

Probably they should come up with a law that would mandate a crash test before the launch and the price of the cars should be capped based on the outcome of the crash test.

Also incentives like rebate on road tax / insurance should be thought about for cars that score 5 stars.

We might appreciate TATA and Mahindra for their well built cars, but how many would really put in our money on them. Not many I guess, it shows in the sales numbers. Just plane talk is not enough, if we seriously appreciated and took build quality a bit more seriously we would have shunned the likes of Hyundai and Maruti. But that's not the case and we are more attracted to creature comforts and looks. Indian manufacturers should also overhaul their servicing standards and come out of their "chaltha hai" attitude in order to garner confidence with the customers.

[OSH]

Originally Posted by SaiSW

you can find "service is a hit or miss" and "service remains a gamble" under every Tata product review.

Add in Mahindra too. No matter how much good these two do, the above mentioned points have found a permanent place in the official reviews to haunt them.

[kiku007]

A two million rupee car is unable to get more than three stars. What the hell is the excuse at this price point?

It's just shameful and unbecoming of the Hyundai-KIA group. I hope they respond positively with product improvements.