Mahindra and Tata Motors are doing a great job of dishing out safer cars for India. Their products have come back with impressive scores post a Global NCAP test. It’s a matter of pride for these homegrown carmakers and also for the average car buyer in India, where road safety until now, wasn’t taken too seriously. The all-new Mahindra Thar is the latest such example to have come back with four stars for both adult and child occupants.
In a test result which has been officially published on GNCAP’s website, it says, “The recently launched Mahindra Thar was tested in its basic safety specification, two airbags, and reached 4 stars for adult and child occupants. The Thar also meets the side impact UN 95 regulation.*
(*) Side impact UN95 test was performed on the Mahindra Thar and it comfortably passed regulatory requirements. Any carmaker can voluntarily request for a UN95 assessment. The side impact test is mandatory to reach five stars but it was not considered in the scoring as the Thar did not reach the required points in the frontal impact to achieve a five-star result.
Global NCAP tested Thar’s ESC according to UN regulation. ESC is not fitted as standard on the Thar and although the model met minimum regulatory requirements, the car showed an unstable dynamic behaviour. Global NCAP recommends a review and improvement.”
A deeper analysis of the crash test reads, “The Thar achieved four stars for adult and child occupant protection. The Thar offers double frontal airbags as standard. Driver and passenger’s head and neck showed good protection. Driver’s chest offered adequate protection and passenger’s chest showed good protection. The structure was rated as stable but the footwell area was rated as unstable, not being capable of withstanding further loadings. Both adult knee areas were optimized to reduce significant injuries. Both child occupants received almost full protection during the test. The Thar offers standard ISOFIX anchorages and top tether together with 3 point belts for all seating positions.
Post the test, Alejandro Furas, Secretary-General of Global NCAP said, “Mahindra’s commitment to safer cars is once again displayed for consumers and shows that it is possible to offer good safety performance in the Indian market. It is encouraging to see manufacturers that also offer high levels of protection for children travelling in their vehicles. The Thar demonstrates the capacity of Mahindra to improve its fleet safety.”
David Ward, President of the Towards Zero Foundation said, “Another good result for Mahindra which shows the manufacturer’s commitment to safety. It is very satisfying to see this growing vehicle safety trend in the Indian car market, which combines minimum regulatory requirements with the purchasing power of #SaferCarsforIndia informed consumers, helping to drive demand for ever safer vehicles.”