Maruti recently came under attack for the S-Presso micro-SUV which scored a worrying zero stars within the Global NCAP crash safety tests. In response, the carmaker said the car is well equipped to satisfy the local regulations and safety requirements but it wouldn’t offer much comfort to those that take this matter seriously. Now, Suzuki South Africa has stated that their standard version of the S-Presso offers better safety than the India-spec model.
In India, Maruti offers the S-Presso with only a driver-side airbag as standard. Buyers need to choose the Optional version of every variant to urge the front passenger airbag and seatbelt pretensioners with force limiters for the front occupants. However, the South African model gets these as standard which does make it slightly safer
The S-Presso’s woeful score was a dire contrast to other, newer made-in-India models that were scoring far better . Some models even secured a five-star safety rating within the same crash tests
Maruti retails the S-Presso between Rs 3.71 lakh and Rs 5.14 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The premium for the optional safety features over the quality variant is merely Rs 6,000. This premium could easily be added to the regular variants to supply better safety as standard. This budget-friendly model may be a direct rival to the Renault Kwid which also scored zero stars within the ASEAN NCAP crash tests in 2018. We hope Maruti and every one other carmakers will still improve the security standards of their cars and transcend the local regulations which can not end in sufficient passenger protection.
Global NCAP crash test:
The Global NCAP has been testing Indian cars for a brief time now under its #SafeCarsForIndia campaign. While there are disappointing results in the past, cars sold in India have upped their safety game in recent years. The Tata Altroz, as an example , got a 5-star rating earlier this year. Here could also be an inventory of other made-in-India cars that have received an honest rating (more than 3 stars) within the worldwide NCAP crash test.