Following the recent spate of shocking crash test results exposing many Indian-built cars as being unsafe, Suzuki is insisting that its South African customers have nothing to worry about.
It was the Datsun Go that really grabbed the headlines for its crash test performance recently, which led the Global NCAP crash testing authority to conclude that the structure performed so badly that even the fitment of airbags would be of little or no use.
Implicated alongside the Datsun was the Maruti Suzuki Swift, which also received a zero star rating. Yet despite its structural performance proving less than ideal, Global NCAP said that fitting airbags would improve occupant protection. All of SA's 1.2-litre Suzuki Swift models are sourced from India, but they do have airbags.
While this test was performed on the "Indian basic specification" model, Suzuki SA's product manager Charl Grobler has reassured us that South Africa receives the "Latin American export specification" version. The standard fitment of dual front airbags makes a big difference here and according to Grobler, the Global NCAP test conducted on the export model, as sold in SA, resulted in a three-star rating.
Even better is the European-spec Swift, which received a five-star Euro NCAP rating and this version is likely similar to the 1.4-litre and Sport models sold in South Africa, which also boast six airbags.
The Indian crash testing controversy was sparked earlier this year when the Ford Figo, VW Polo, Hyundai i10 and other small hatchbacks were also slapped with zero-star safety ratings by Global NCAP.
However the Figo and Polo were deemed to have safe structures, the fatal flaw in both cases being the non-fitment of airbags in Indian-market models. Read more HERE .