Indian Cars To Face Another Round of Global NCAP Crash Tests
The results will matter as carmakers have taken various measures to enhance safety standards in their cars after the poor show in 2014.
Indian cars are ready for yet another (third) round of crash tests conducted by the global NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme) under the ‘Safer Cars for India’ campaign. We are hoping for better results this time round since carmakers have become much more proactive about making their vehicles safer. In January 2014, the global agency made public its results for five of India's best-known cars, and all of them scored a zero rating.
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It is reported that seven cars have been inspected this time and the results will be out by May 17, 2016. Alejandro Furas, technical director of Global NCAP, stated at an occasion that the test results will be out "within two weeks".
Cars in India have got an image of being unsafe. The tag is not entirely unearned as five hatchbacks -- the Maruti Suzuki Alto 800, the Hyundai i10, the Ford Figo, the Volkswagen Polo and the Tata Nano -- scored zero stars in tests conducted by the same agency in January 2014. Later that year, Nissan's Datsun Go and the Maruti Swift followed in their footprints.
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Indian carmakers have been working on improving the safety levels of their products for a while now. While Volkswagen, known for its sturdy build, immediately took corrective measures after the January 2014 results and introduced two airbags in the Polo, other companies have also introduced them as an optional feature. This is partially the result of the NCAP’s continuous focus on safety. With all these changes in place, we certainly expect our vehicles to fare better this time.