Safety has become a prime concern of every car buyer. This was not seen earlier, as that was the time when almost everyone was only interested in known the mileage of the car (thanks to Maruti’s Kitna deti hain campaign). But now, things are changing for good.
More and more new car buyers have started laying more emphasis on safety features present in the cars they are seeking to buy. And to meet this demand, more and more automakers are ensuring that each of their cars comply with new safety standards. Tata Motors already has the Tata Nexon SUV which has achieved a 5 Star rating in Global NCAP, making it the first Indian origin car to achieve the same. The Made-in-India Tata Nexon had scored 16.06 points out of 17 to achieve this 5 Star rating.
Tata Motors has just shown off the Buzzard SUV, Altroz premium hatchback, Altroz EV, H2X small SUV, Buzzard Sport (Harrier) at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. Tata now endeavours to enhance the safety aspect in each of its cars and promises to build the safest cars in India so as to contribute its bit to bringing down road fatalities over the next two to three years.
The cars that the company builds will not only achieve a 5 Star rating according to Global NCAP standards but will also exceed the country’s minimum safety rating as prescribed in India’s new safety norms. Tata Motors MD, Guenter Butschek told Economic Times, “If there is a star, I would like to have five of them on safety. That is the new normal for vehicles at Tata Motors.” With this target, Tata Motors could gain an edge over leading automakers in the country such as Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai and could soon see market share cross the double digit mark.
Tata Motors also introduced two new generation architectures – ALFA and OMEGA and plan over a dozen products based on these two platforms in the next couple of years. The two platforms will ensure that the upcoming models will be able to offset frontal crash regulations set to be introduced from later this year in India. The ALFA architecture will span vehicles from 3.7 meters to 4.3 meters while the OMEGA architecture will be seen on all products from 4.3 meters onwards. The new gen models will also receive a larger number of safety features among which will be ABS, EBD, ESP, airbags, seat belt reminders, parking sensors with reverse parking camera and ISOFIX child seat mounts.
Tata Motors will also be upgrading platform of their current cars like Tiago and Tigor to comply with new safety norms and targets a 5 Star rating for them as well. They aim to set new benchmarks where safety of passengers is concerned. With the best in safety standards, brand new designs and emphasis on electrification, Tata Motors wishes to wean buyers away from rivals such as Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai.
