With Hyundai India making the move to offer six airbags as standard across the variants of its line-up, it seems like Tata is also going to do the same in future. The Punch, which is the direct competitor to...
With Hyundai India making the move to offer six airbags as standard across the variants of its line-up, it seems like Tata is also going to do the same in future. The Punch, which is the direct competitor to Hyundai Exter will soon get six airbags as standard across the variants. The new information comes after the pictures of the Punch from the Bharat NCAP (B-NCAP) crash test came out.
Global NCAP has already tested the Tata Punch in 2021 and the car received a perfect five-star rating. However, the rating parameters have been updated since then. Currently, the Tata Punch is equipped with 2 airbags as standard across the variant.
The picture of the upcoming Punch from the crash test shows the curtain and side airbags suggesting that all the variants of the upcoming vehicle will get the six airbag set-up as standard. Only the base variants are tested during the crash tests, which means that the vehicle that we see from the test is a base variant.
Apart from the extra number of airbags, the Punch already offers other standard safety features like the ABS with EVD, rear parking sensor, central locking and brake sway control. Higher-end variants also offer follow-me-headlamps, anti-glare IRVM, reverse parking camera, traction pro, rain-sensing wipers and tyre pressure monitoring system.
6 airbags are not mandatory
Initially, the Indian government planned to require car manufacturers to install six airbags in all car models, even the basic versions. The intention behind this rule was to enhance the safety of cars purchased by Indian customers, as the number of vehicles and accidents on the road were increasing. However, due to the impact of the pandemic on the auto industry, the implementation of this law was postponed by a year.
The main idea behind increasing the number of airbags was to provide better protection for car occupants. However, car manufacturers were concerned about the additional cost involved in adding more airbags, which would directly affect the price of these vehicles. It was estimated that the prices would increase by around Rs 50,000. Some car models in India did not even offer six airbags in their highest trim levels, so the cost would have been even higher for these models as they would need to make changes to accommodate the additional airbags.
The Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, introduced a new safety assessment program that will come into effect on October 1, 2023. However, participation in this program is not mandatory for car manufacturers.
Under this program, cars will be evaluated and given star ratings for their performance in tests that align with the new safety standards. These star ratings will assess the safety of both adult and child occupants. Car buyers can use these ratings as a reference to compare the safety features of different car models and make informed decisions when purchasing a car.
The post Tata Punch to get 6 airbags as standard across the variants first appeared on Cartoq.