Maruti Suzuki to Enhance Vehicle Safety

Standardizing Six Airbags

In 2025, India’s car manufacturer leader Maruti Suzuki will equip all its cars with six airbags as standard. This comprises front, side, and curtain airbags, ensuring extensive protection. Chairman R C Bhargava announced this during the Q4 earnings call, boasting a proactive safety measure. Models like Fronx, Baleno, Ertiga, Ignis, XL6, and S-Presso do not have this across all variants. It marks a major leap in safety for passengers as it establishes the baseline of consumer demands and government safety advocacy in times to come.

Current Safety Upgrades

Six airbags have been added in a few models like Alto K10, Celerio, WagonR, Brezza, Eeco, Swift, Dzire, Grand Vitara, Jimny, and Invicto. Notably, of these, the Alto K10 and Celerio, costing less than ₹6 lakh, are some of the most economical in India priced under this protection. Recently, the Dzire won a five-star rating with Global NCAP, scoring 31.24/34 for adult safety and 39.20/49 for child safety. These are upgrades set by Maruti to boost safety across its varied lineup, from hatchbacks to SUVs, given previous criticisms of some models for having low Global NCAP scores.

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A Balancing Act Between Safety and Affordability

Introducing six airbags across the variants will increase prices, especially for entry-level models. Earlier, Bhargava had voiced concern about the cost impact in India, one of the world’s most price-sensitive markets, where a mere 12% of households earn enough to afford cars above ₹10 lakh. Price increases by amounts like Celerio (up to ₹32,500) and Alto K10 (₹6,000-₹16,000) have already been imposed. But, Maruti wants to optimize costs and will keep affordability high so that safety does not put off the budget-conscious buyers. This balance is particularly essential as the demand for small cars dwindles.

Industry and Consumer Impact

This will set India amongst the leaders of the automotive scene, with Hyundai and Kia taking the cue for standard six airbags. X posts show positive sentiment, with safety-talk lauding comments from users. The move could spur competitors to improve safety, initiation for overall improvement across the industry. With a buyer profile of 74 % being first-time buyers, an increased safety in budget models such as the Alto K10 serves the purpose. However, there will be a discussion over affordability vs. safety in a sensitive cost market, as such changes would involve a price increase.

Safety Goals

Maruti’s safety dreams are in line with the country’s aspirations of halving road deaths by 2025, which is supported by the Bharat NCAP rating system. The company is correcting older shortcomings of the Global NCAP, in which cars like the Swift and WagonR scored only one star in terms of safety. Maruti is putting six airbags into its cars and adding ABS, EBD, and ESP to improve the crash test ratings. All this, along with additional launches in the upcoming time, such as e-Vitara and seven-seater Grand Vitara, will not only set the company on track to be one of the safest options but also potential leaders with regard to safety in the automotive arena in India.

Source: India Today

The information provided in this article is sourced from the internet and may change; we strongly recommend verifying all details, including prices and specifications, with your nearest CAR Motors Dealer or customer care before making any decisions.

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