The latest crash test results for India, announced to coincide with the inaugural Global NCAP World Congress in Delhi saw Maruti Suzuki achieve an encouraging four star result with the Vitara Brezza while Renault failed to impress with the zero star Lodgy.
The Vitara Brezza with standard double airbags, ABS, and ISOFIX anchorages, achieved four stars for adult occupant protection and two stars for child occupant protection.
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Adult occupant protection was good and robust. The child occupant protection rating was only two stars due to the forward facing positioning of the 18 month old dummy in the test though the three year old dummy received good protection. The markings for the ISOFIX anchorages were also incorrect according to Global NCAP testing protocols.
The Lodgy without airbags as standard achieved zero stars for adult occupant protection and two stars for child occupant protection. The zero star result was partly due to the lack of airbags which caused the head and chest to impact the steering wheel. The car also showed an unstable structure during the crash with deformations even in the rear door and a rupture in the footwell area during the crash. The lack of ISOFIX anchorages meant that the child seats needed to be installed with adult seatbelts, that could not prevent excessive forward excursion of the three year old dummy which impacted its head on the driver seat backrest.
Indian developed cars like the Vitara Brezza together with the Tata Nexon, previously published in August, are clear evidence of the steady improvement in the Indian automotive industry and show a significant potential for much safer cars in the near future.
David Ward, secretary general of Global NCAP said: “The four star result for Maruti Suzuki’s Vitara Brezza is really impressive. It demonstrates clearly the safety engineering capabilities of India’s leading vehicle manufacturer. It also shows the beneficial effects of the Indian government’s new crash test standards helping to raise levels of vehicle safety. We are getting very close now to seeing India’s first five star car. In contrast the zero star Renault Lodgy is extremely disappointing. Global NCAP had hoped that Renault had learned from the difficult experience they had with the Kwid. It’s time now for Renault to make front air bags standard across their entire Indian product range.”
