Apr 02 2024, 09:16
Safety vs. competitive pricing: Why India-made cars fail global crash tests:
In India, priority is always given to keeping the cost of a vehicle low. So, even though cars made in India meet all the local safety requirements, they fail to pass high global standards. The needle on safety will move only if the Bharat NCAP crash tests are made mandatory for all cars in India.
The Citroen e-C3 SUV is the latest made-in-India car to crash land (no pun intended). The electric car secured a zero-star rating in crash test for adult occupant protection from Global NCAP (New Car Assessment Program) recently. The Citroen e-C3 SUV is made in Tamil Nadu since its launch last February.
Its maker Stellantis, however, claimed that "its vehicles comply with all current local market regulations" and the company will be adding six airbags and additional safety features as standard across its products in India in the second half of the year.
The crash test revealed that the driver's chest showed "weak protection" while the passengers' chest had "poor protection".
The Citroen e-C3 joined a bunch of India-made cars that received poor safety ratings from various crash-test agencies. In the past, Maruti Suzuki WagonR, Swift, S-Presso; Renault Kwid; Hyundai i10, and many other cars flunked crash tests.
Saurabh Dalela director, International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) tells that the car has its mass and velocity, so a frontal crash test is done to check how the huge energy produced on collision is absorbed by the vehicle. If it is not absorbed in a controlled manner by the vehicle, then it will impact the safety of people sitting in the car. The technology of energy absorption is a feature of the vehicle structure and mater For example, the crumple zone at the front of the vehicle and high-strength material in the vehicle structure
(high-strength steel) are the key features to absorb high energy efficiently during a crash. Further, restraint systems such as seat belts and airbags provide additional protection to the occupants.
"In India, priority was always given to keeping the cost of the vehicle competitive," says Piparsania, explaining why cars made in the country are low on safety.
Dalela flags another important factor that is key to a vehicle's safety. He says since the sheet metal of the car plays a major role in absorbing the kinetic energy produced on collision, the design aspect of the car becomes important, besides the quality of the sheet metal used in the vehicle's body structure, including its physical and chemical properties.
When the international car brands came to India, their cars were engineered for different automotive standards around the world. And in India, the automotive standards were not so evolved at that time. So, the industry's dilemma was whether the cars should be made for safety, or should they follow the minimum certification standard, Piparsania adds.
He says several vehicle manufacturers are now looking to export their models from India. For instance, Tata Motors and Mahindra are now exporting their vehicles around the world. So, they are adopting global standards that can be harmonised for the rest of the world.
source: et
Apr 02 2024, 10:12
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