Bharat NCAP recently shared a teaser on its social media handles suggesting that the autonomous safety body will soon announce the next set of results of crash tests. The first Bharat NCAP crash test report came out in December 2023 when Tata Harrier and Tata Safari earned a perfect 5-star safety rating from Bharat NCAP.
The caption in the latest social media post by Bharat NCAP says, “Get ready to discover the latest safety ratings with the upcoming releases of Bharat NCAP Ratings. Stay tuned for insights that prioritize your safety on the road.”
As of now, it is not clear the list of models sent to Bharat NCAP for crash tests. However, as per our knowledge, OEMs like Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, and Mahindra have sent three models each to Bharat NCAP. In fact, in a recent earnings report, Rahul Bharti, Head of Corporate Affairs, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, confirmed the same for the company.
The new set of results are expected to come out in June, six months after the crash tests results of the twin SUVs from Tata Motors were announced. Whether Maruti Swift is part of this cannot be confirmed at this point. However, there are a few interesting points to note why Swift is a strong contender to be tested.
Maruti Swift in Bharat NCAP?
The third-gen India-spec Maruti Swift was crash tested by Global NCAP in December 2022 and it earned a poor 1-star safety rating for both adult and child occupancy. This led to a bad name for the hatchback, especially on social media and Maruti Suzuki, ever since has been subjected to constant ridicule and online trolling when it comes to safety.
The new Swift, based on a modified version of the existing Heartect platform, is a good opportunity for Maruti Suzuki to make a solid mark with regards to car safety. For reference, the new-gen Swift scored an impressive 4-star safety rating in the Japan NCAP crash test with a 90 percent score. However, the India-spec Swift will be very different from its Japanese counterpart.
For starters, the 4-star rating for the Swift in Japan NCAP is mostly credited to the full suite of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) added to the equipment which the India-spec model is most likely to miss out on. Further, while the Japan NCAP crash test was quite extensive, the report doesn’t mention two key questions about the new-gen Swift:
- “Is the body shell stable in case of a frontal impact crash?
- What is the child occupant protection score for the hatchback?
Therefore, a Bharat NCAP test of the new-gen Swift will give us more information on Maruti’s commitment towards safety.