The Global New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) recently carried out a number of crash tests on cars made in India and the result was not impressive. The poor results raise questions not only about the manufacturers but also the users’ lack of thought for safety. There are not many customers who consider safety as one of the prime factors based on which they select a car. A close look at the figures revealed by Maruti proves the point.
One of the largest Maruti car manufacturers in India that provides airbags and anti-lock brakes with 11 models, either as a paid option or as part of a total package, has only 37 per cent of the buyers opting for the safety package. The company informed that the low figure is mainly because of the higher demand for models like Brezza, Baleno and the S-Cross which come with air bags and ABS as standard.
Alto constitutes approximately 16 per cent of Maruti’s domestic sales, but the number of customers making an informed choice of the driver bag model is as low as 5 per cent. The driver bag is available for every variant and only costs an extra Rs 6,000. Altogether, 30 per cent of the company’s sale is taken up by Alto and WagonR but they show very little consideration for safety.
There is a strong connection between the customer’s understanding of the safety technology and its adoption. Educating the buyers will help a great deal and this will eventually help in making cars in India safer.