After scoring 4 stars in Global NCAP's crash test in August this year, the Tata Nexon has made history by going the distance and becoming India's first ever 5 Star car. The Nexon has achieved this by scoring 16.06 points out of a possible 17 - the highest as yet for any Indian made car. That this feat comes from an Indian manufacturer rather than a multinational is of significant importance. The car also underwent a side impact crash test, which is necessary to achieve this rating. Gunter Butschek, MD, Tata Motors told carandbike, "The Nexon achieving 5 stars at Global-NCAP is an exemplary achievement, and fortifies our intent for the future product portfolio."
Watch Tata Nexon Getting 5 Stars In Global NCAP Crash Tests
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But what really helped the Tata Nexon to go from 4 to 5 stars? Alejandro Furas, Technical Director at Global NCAP explains, "The ABS, or anti-locking brakes, in a full channel version is a standard fitment for all the cars, so all the Nexon's wheels have ABS in four channels. At the same time, the seat belt reminder was also now introduced by the manufacturer as a standard feature for driver and passenger side as well." The Tata Nexon's body shell and structure have remained unchanged since the August test, and it always had dual airbags as standard anyway. The car also retains its 3 star rating for child occupant safety.
Mayank Pareek, President, Passenger Vehicle Business Unit, Tata Motors says, "A few years back, nobody believed that safety would sell in India. However, today's Indian customers have evolved and are better exposed to the international market. They are more conscious towards safety and have started putting vehicle safety amongst the top priorities of car purchase."
The Tata Nexon's earlier 4 and now 5 star rating is pushing other manufacturers into action too. And we now expect a flurry of 4 or 5 star cars from India. That is great news for the Indian industry and the Indian consumer - since these tests and results are more stringent than the newly mandated safety regulation implemented by the Indian government. "This car was entirely engineered in India and so it's not like it required technical expertise from elsewhere. So it shows you what the Indian automobile industry is capable of. And the other thing to recognise, is that this is also the result of better crash test regulations from the Indian government. It's a fantastic success story - a made in India success story around vehicle safety." said David Ward, Secretary General, Global NCAP.
Tata plans to keep pushing the safety agenda and wants all future cars to meet either 5 or a minimum 4 star safety rating. It is likely the next car to be tested will be the upcoming Harrier compact SUV, though Tata is also keen to showcase the build quality of its smaller cars like the Tiago and Tigor.