Grand i10 NIOS is the new generation of Hyundai i10, which was launched last year in India
Just when we thought the mandatory safety regulations implemented by the government of India will put an end to cars with abysmal crash safety ratings, Global NCAP has released its latest round of not-so-encouraging test results of India-spec vehicles. Kia Seltos scored 3 star, Maruti S-Presso scored 0 star and 3rd car tested, is Hyundai Grand i10 NIOS.
NIOS has scored only a 2 star safety rating. This is same as what its rival Maruti Swift had scored about 2 years ago. Hyundai Grand i10 NIOS’ poor performance in the crash tests could be attributed to lack of standard three-point seat belts for rear middle passenger and ISOFIX child seat anchorages.
The new car evaluation organization has been subjecting India-made passenger cars to international safety tests in a bid to raise awareness and to encourage OEMs to build better products. The variant tested was equipped with dual front airbags, seat belt reminders for front occupants and ABS as standard fitment.
Hyundai Grand i10 Nios crash rating
The India-spec Hyundai Grand i10 Nios which brings to table a new design and upmarket equipment to the small car segment only managed to achieve 2 star rating at the Global NCAP crash tests. The popular hatchback scored 7.05 out of 17 points for adult occupant safety and 15 out of 49 points for child occupant safety.
Global NCAP rates the Grand i0 Nios’ structure as unstable, especially the floor around foot well area. Global NCAP says that the lack of standard 3-point seat belts for the rear middle-row passenger (makes do with lap belt) and ISOFIX child seat anchorage points led to poor overall occupant protection rating.
For adult occupants, the head and neck protection were rated good while chest protection was rated weak for the driver and adequate for the front passenger. When it comes to child occupants, the 3 year old dummy experienced excessive forward excursion of the head during the crash in addition to registering weak protection to the chest. The 18-month old dummy represented a better level of protection.
Grand i10 Nios vs Tata Tiago
The Tata Tiago and Tigor twins which were earlier tested by Global NCAP in their facelited avatars performed better than the Grand i10 Nios. The Tiago scored 4-star rating for adult occupant safety and 3-star rating for child occupant safety. Hyundai, being a global automaker, should be focusing on offering its Indian customers safety standards that are at par with its global portfolio.
While the Euro-NCAP safety rating for the current generation Hyundai i10 for the European market (made in Turkey) is not out yet, it is worth noting that the previous gen model (equivalent to the current Grand i10 in India) scored 4 stars. It is reasonable to assume that the new i10 for Europe will fair better than its Indian counterpart when it is eventually put through the same set of crash tests.