Honda to Offer Dual Airbags as Standard on New Models Starting FY 2016

The facelifted Honda Amaze was launched in India today at a starting price of Rs 5.29 lakh. Not only has the car been given cosmetic updates in terms of both exteriors and interiors but Honda has also announced that dual SRS airbags will now be available as on option on the base variant as well.

Also Read: Honda Amaze Facelift Launched in India; Priced From Rs 5.29 Lakh

Honda emphasized the importance of safety at the press conference. The company's plan for achieving better road safety has 3 dimensions- Safer Cars for Safer Drivers to make Safer Roads. Under the Safer Cars umbrella, the company has strived to improve 3 main areas of concern. Active Safety includes technologies that help in accident prevention such as ABS, EBD, multi-view cameras, HID headlamps, etc. Passive Safety measures such as Honda's structurally rigid ACE body structure ensure that risks to passengers and pedestrians alike are minimized in the unfortunate event of a crash. Additionally, other Safety Technology Efforts like crash testing, proving grounds, and use of pedestrian dummies help in better understanding crash situations in order to further improve all-round safety.

New Honda Amaze

The company announced that all new Honda cars that will be launched starting FY 2016-17, will come fitted with dual front airbags as standard with the rest of the existing range set to receive standard airbags by April next year. This is a clear indication that the Japanese company's upcoming Honda BR-V SUV will also come fitted with dual airbags as standard.

The Indian automotive industry is currently facing a huge boom. Not only are more and more manufacturers opting to set-up shop in India due to the high demand of passenger vehicles but customers themselves are evolving and have become more discerning, especially when purchasing a new car. As a result, the educated modern-day Indian carbuyer, no longer considers only cost based factors when buying a car, but also looks at other skews such as desirability, functionality, and more importantly, safety. As a result, manufacturers have realized the growing concern surrounding vehicle safety and have begun to address this need.

New Honda Amaze Rear

Ford set the benchmark by offering the new Figo and Figo Aspire with dual front airbags and ABS as standard across all variants followed by Indian small-car leader Maruti Suzuki. In fact, Maruti now offers airbags as an option across all variants of its entire range with plans to standardize safety features across its range already in the pipeline. It's good to see manufacturers taking vehicle safety seriously despite there being no concrete regulations regarding vehicle safety systems just as yet. Nevertheless, the government is mulling over standardizing airbags in all cars after previously having made crash tests mandatory for all new cars in India, starting 2017.

Also Read: Airbags Might Soon Be Mandatory in India