Renault Kwid, Honda Mobilio undergo GNCAP crash tests

Four months after it tested five high-selling, made-in-India cars, all of which got zero star ratings for adult occupant protection, Global NCAP has released crash test results of the latest and highest safety level version of the Renault Kwid hatchback as well as two versions of the Honda Mobilio MPV.

In its standard version, the Renault Kwid is offered without airbags and was tested by Global NCAP in May 2016. The basic version of the car scored zero stars for adult occupant protection and two stars for child occupant protection. Following Renault’s latest set of improvements, the Kwid was assessed again in the frontal impact test and the model still offers just one star for adult occupant protection. The latest version and the most highly equipped safety levels, includes an airbag only for the driver and a seatbelt pretensioner for the driver’s seat. During the test, this version still showed high-chest deflection, which explains the one-star rating in the driver seat. It is to be noted that in the previous test conducted in May 2016, three versions of the Kwid were tested.

The Honda Mobilio was tested in the basic version, showing a stable structure and zero stars for adult occupant protection. GNCAP says Honda requested it to test a Mobilio equipped with double airbags in order to show the benefits of these safety systems; this variant achieved three stars for adult-occupant protection.

David Ward, secretary general of Global NCAP, said: “Renault has made limited progress. They should be offering their one-star car as the standard version not an option. Honda too has shown that with two airbags they can achieve three stars. These safety systems should not be options.

“Renault and Honda make safe cars in other markets, they have the know-how to make all their Indian cars much safer. We expect them to start doing so now.” Rohit Baluja, president of the Institute of Road Traffic Education, said: “The automobile industry in India is fast progressing, however a safety-systems approach is not yet a priority. Customers are not yet aware how safe are the cars they are purchasing in case they meet up with frontal crashes when at higher speeds. In these tests, both Honda and Renault have demonstrated that they can offer safer cars to the Indian market. Automobile manufacturers should not enhance safety features as an option; rather safety should be an uncompromising standard.”