NEW DELHI: As the government on Tuesday introduced the much-awaited Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP), India’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki said it will initially provide Baleno, Brezza and Grand Vitara models for crash tests.
“Any car that is launched in India follows the mandatory safety standards set by the government and is therefore safe. For consumers seeking extra safety or manufacturers offering extra safety features, the Bharat NCAP system is an authentic and objective rating system to empower the customer to make an informed choice,” said Rahul Bharti, executive officer, corporate affairs, Maruti Suzuki India.
It will be important to see how much MSIL scores in the Bharat NCAP as the company models have scored low ratings in the Global NCAP tests. One of MSIL’s selling cars, WagonR, had scored 1 star (out of five stars) while other models such as AltoK10, Swift and S-Presso have ratings of 2 and 3 stars. Besides MSIL cars, Hyundai Motor India (HMIL) models have also received underwhelming safety ratings in the Global NCAP with most models scoring two and three stars.
“We welcome the Bharat NCAP safety initiative by the government of India and believe this effort will raise safety standards, empower consumers with vital information, and make Indian roads safer for all,” said Unsoo Kim, Managing Director and CEO, of Hyundai Motor India. The Korean carmaker will supply three models initially for crash tests.
Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors, the two homegrown companies that have received high ratings in Global NCAP, welcomed the new initiative but did not say which models will be sent for the new tests. Tata Motors’ Nexon and Punch, and Mahindra’s XUV300, Scorpio-N and XUV700 have a five-star Global NCAP safety rating. Mahindra’s popular Thar has received four stars. Bharat NCAP has already received requests to test 30 models from automakers ahead of its launch on October 1st, 2023z.