The latest round of Global NCAP crash test results was announced earlier this week and made-in-India cars like the Maruti Suzuki S-Presso, Hyundai Grand i10 Nios and the Kia Seltos secured safety ratings below expectations. While the Grand i10 Nios scored two stars and the Seltos three stars, the S-Presso stood out particularly with zero stars and that is alarming. Jumping on the opportunity, Tata Motors took a dig at the S-Presso's bad safety rating on social media. The company put out a tweet that read "We don't break that easy" with the image of a broken "coffee" mug.
Also Read: Another Zero Star Crash Rating For Maruti, Kia Gets 3 Stars For Seltos
Driving is #SeriouslyFun, only when you live it up with safety.
Book the Safest-in-Segment New Tiago by clicking on https://t.co/x9nKgE745s#Tiago #NewForever #SaferCarsForIndia pic.twitter.com/WxH0EZF6xt— Tata Motors Cars (@TataMotors_Cars) November 12, 2020
That's certainly cheeky of Tata Motors, we would say, but we hope it will encourage Maruti Suzuki to take note and make a change. The S-Presso competes against the Tata Tiago in the entry-level hatchback segment and the car and received a four-star rating in the Global NCAP crash test results. The tweet was also noticed by David Ward, President and CEO, Global NCAP, who encouraged the banter and said that it will help build a market for safer cars.
Maybe time for @Maruti_Corp to wake up and smell the coffee! Enjoying @TataMotors_Cars cheeky tweet. Nothing like healthy competition to build a market for #safercarsforindia. #nozerostarcars pic.twitter.com/GtW9XODXxF
— David Ward (@DavidDjward) November 13, 2020
In fact, not just the Tiago, Tata Motors along with Mahindra & Mahindra have turned out to make headway in enhancing safety on their respective cars, setting the right precedent. The Tata Nexon and the Altroz are both five-star rated cars, and so is the Mahindra XUV300. In Maruti Suzuki's stable, the Vitara Brezza is the exception and scores a four-star safety rating. The Tata Tiago was a gamechanger for the automaker and has been instrumental in re-establishing the brand and its new strategy in the passenger vehicle segment. It continues to be a hot seller for the company. Meanwhile, the Maruti Suzuki is targeted at young buyers looking for something more trendy over the tried and tested Alto and is a hot seller too in the same space. That's all the more reason, these cars should meet a higher safety rating.
Also Read: Tata Tiago And Tigor Score 4 Stars In Global NCAP Crash Tests
The Tata Tiago has received a 4-star safety rating from the Global NCAP, which makes it one of the safest cars in its segment
The Global NCAP crash test program only considers the base variant sold in the market to be considered for testing. The base S-Presso tested comes equipped with only the driver-side airbag, while the test rated the car's body shell as unstable, as was the front footwell area. The seatbelts also miss out on pretensioners on the base trim and the rear middle occupant does not get a three-point seatbelt. The S-Presso received two stars for child occupant safety.
Also Read: Tata Motors Takes Aim At New Hyundai i20
Maruti Suzuki did respond to the results and said, "The Government of India has recently increased the stringency of car crash test standards and made them identical to European standards. All products of the company are fully compliant with these global standards and duly tested and certified by the Government of India."
WATCH: Freewheeling With SVP | Understanding Recent Global NCAP Crash Tests of Seltos, Nios & S-Presso
Interestingly, this is the second such instance in recent times of Tata taking aim at its competition. More recently, the company took a jibe at the new-generation i20 that competes against the Altroz in the premium hatchback segment.
