Maruti Suzuki’s Five-Star NCAP Breakthrough: How Safety is Rebranding India’s Biggest Carmaker

Maruti Suzuki achieves a five-star Global NCAP rating with its budget-friendly Dzire, setting a new safety standard in India’s mass-market segment. Discover how Maruti’s renewed focus on safety is reshaping its image and appealing to a safety-conscious audience.

Why Safety Matters for Maruti Suzuki’s Brand Revamp

Maruti Suzuki has achieved a milestone with its first-ever five-star Global NCAP crash safety rating. This landmark achievement addresses longstanding criticism over the brand’s focus on affordability at the expense of safety. Known for producing budget-friendly vehicles, Maruti Suzuki’s previous ratings—often one or two stars in adult safety—fueled the notion that its cars were little more than “tin cans.” With its latest success, Maruti aims to communicate a shift in priorities, placing passenger safety at the core of its brand.

A Step Forward for Everyday Cars

What makes this five-star rating especially impactful is that it applies to a mass-market model, the Dzire, rather than a premium vehicle like the Grand Vitara. By prioritizing safety in a budget-friendly car, Maruti is reinforcing a commitment to safety across its lineup. The updated Dzire comes standard with a suite of safety features: side head curtain airbags in front and rear, side chest airbags for the driver and front passenger, and six airbags as standard—all significant upgrades from its predecessor.

Higher Safety, Higher Costs

Enhanced safety features also mean a likely price increase. The new Dzire, using 45% Ultra and Advanced High Strength Steel for improved structural integrity, carries an ex-showroom price starting at ₹6.59 lakh. While Maruti Suzuki Chairman RC Bhargava has previously argued against mandatory high-end safety features due to affordability concerns, the brand is making a deliberate shift. Unlike its main competitor Hyundai, which has exited the entry-level market, Maruti is redefining safety as a standard, even without regulatory mandates like the six-airbag rule.

Consumer Demand for Safer Cars

Recent consumer trends support Maruti’s shift. McKinsey’s Automotive Consumer Survey reveals that 70% of buyers consider safety the most critical feature when purchasing a car. As more consumers seek vehicles with robust safety features, Maruti’s move aligns with shifting market expectations. A study from Deloitte found that 8% of car owners would avoid high-speed roads if they knew their car’s crashworthiness was poor—a statistic manufacturers can’t ignore as India’s highways improve.

Global NCAP’s “Safer Cars for India” Initiative

Since Global NCAP’s launch of the “Safer Cars for India” initiative a decade ago, Indian consumers have become increasingly aware of crashworthiness. Maruti Suzuki, like Hyundai, has faced scrutiny for prioritizing cost-saving over safety in India, even using less durable steel in models sold domestically compared to versions exported to Europe. This disparity has fueled calls for change, led by advocates like Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, who has urged automotive brands to adopt international safety standards.

Paving the Way Forward

Maruti Suzuki’s five-star Dzire rating sets a new benchmark in the Indian automotive industry. The spotlight now falls on other models, such as the Swift, as India’s Bharat NCAP, which aligns with UN safety regulations, prepares to test further Maruti models. Maruti’s renewed focus on safety may lead to more entry-level vehicles, like the WagonR and Alto, being equipped with enhanced safety features. For now, Maruti can celebrate its achievement in leading the safety charge among domestic mass-market brands, standing ahead of Hyundai and Kia, neither of which has attained a Global NCAP five-star rating for India-made cars.

Also Read:  Maruti Suzuki Makes History: First-Ever Fronx SUV Exported to Japan

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