The new Dzire’s five-star rating from GNCAP not only stunned many automotive brands but also silenced critics who earlier panned Maruti Suzuki for its poor safety records in the past.
This time around, Maruti was confident about the Dzire scoring high in crash tests that it voluntarily sent not just the fourth-gen car but also its predecessor to GNCAP. While the latest-gen Dzire cleared the GNCAP tests with a five-star rating, the outgoing model got only two stars. With the stark difference in crash test ratings between the two generations, Maruti also portrayed the progress it had made in terms of focus on safety.
Maruti Dzire crash test: Why Global NCAP and not Bharat NCAP?
While the testing procedures for Bharat NCAP (BNCAP), India’s own crash-test rating programme, and GNCAP are near-identical, the visibility is not. GNCAP has been around in India for a decade and is known worldwide. In comparison, BNCAP is barely over a year old and more focused on cars sold in India, resulting in its limited visibility.
While the Dzire has been conceptualised for the Indian customer, the car is exported to and sold in many international emerging markets such as Africa, South America and even the Middle East. The latest-gen Dzire went on sale recently in India and will gradually replace the outgoing model overseas.
Hence, the GNCAP five-star rating for the new Dzire goes a long way for Suzuki and will help the brand market the sedan thanks to the higher safety rating, which is not common in that segment and price point in most emerging markets where the Dzire is sold.
