Volkswagen Taigun and Skoda Kushaq are the first cars in the Indian car market to receive a 5-star rating for both adults and children in the latest round of Global NCAP crash testing under the #SaferCarsForIndia initiative. In addition, both compact SUVs were tested under the new and stricter crash test requirements for India, scoring 29.64 points out of a possible 34.00 for adults and 42 points out of a possible 49 for child safety. It should be noted that both SUVs share the same MQB-A0-IN platform and are also the first cars under the India 2.0 strategy of Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited (SAVWIPL) to be produced locally from the Aurangabad plant.
“The Volkswagen Group has always focused on providing the highest level of safety in its model range,” said Piyush Arora, General Manager and CEO of Skoda Auto Volkswagen India, regarding the results. “This is an important milestone and a satisfying achievement for us as both of our INDIA 2.0 SUV models have reached the pinnacle of global safety standards.” “I am confident that this recognition will help to continue the growth momentum of our brands,” he added.
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Christian Cahn von Seelen, Executive Director of Sales and Marketing, Skoda Auto Volkswagen India said: “The design, dimensions and materials used in the cabin may vary between our car models, but a constant is our rigorous commitment to and occupants safe in our cars. I am proud and humbled that a prestigious organization such as Global NCAP has recognized our efforts and awarded the highest safety ratings for the Skoda Kushaq and Volkswagen Taigun, especially the never reached level of child safety.”
Global NCAP Secretary General Alejandro Furas said: “We welcome and congratulate Skoda and Volkswagen’s initiative to meet Global NCAP’s new five-star requirements for the Kushaq and Taigun through voluntary testing. “We are urging all automakers to pursue and achieve this level of crash test performance going forward, maintaining the momentum of safety improvements that we have seen steadily developing through our program since we began our Indian testing in 2014. “
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carandbike also contacted Ashish Gupta, Brand Director of Volkswagen Passenger Cars India to comment on the performance of the Volkswagen Taigun. “Today it is a matter of great pride for us to announce that our German-designed SUVW Taigun, equipped with more than 40 safety features, has achieved 5 stars in the Global NCAP for both adults and children,” he said. reflects our commitment to provide the highest safety standards to our customers in India and also the hard work of our entire team whose engineering expertise and efforts have made Taigun, India’s safest SUVW, he added.
Ashish Gupta, Brand Director of Volkswagen Passenger Cars India, along with the Volkswagen Taigun.
Global NCAP’s updated crash test protocols assess front and side impact protection for all models tested, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), pedestrian protection and side impact protection ratings are also required for vehicles with the highest star ratings. For the front offset barrier test, Global NCAP tests the car at a speed limit of 64 km/h, while the side barrier test is performed at 50 km/h. The pole side impact test is performed at 29 km/h, while the pedestrian bonnet head shape test is assessed at 40 km/h.
David Ward, President, Towards Zero Foundation, said: “Following the introduction of Global NCAP’s more demanding protocol enhancements in July, it is satisfying to see these five-star crash ratings for VW and Skoda already. Most domestic and international automakers understand that Indian consumers rightly expect high safety standards as a minimum requirement. We look forward to continuing this trend when Bharat NCAP kicks off next year.”
Both the Skoda Kushaq and the Volkswagen Taigun were assessed on their most basic safety specification: 2 airbags as standard, ABS & EBD and ESC. The models showed a stable structure in frontal impacts, adequate to good adult occupant protection and marginal to good side impact protection. Children’s occupants received full protection during the front and side impact, thanks in part to a three-point seat belt and ISOFIX mountings for all three rear seats that are offered as standard.
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Global NCAP found that in a frontal impact, the driver’s chest was adequately protected and the passenger’s chest was well protected. The driver’s and passenger’s knees also showed good protection, while the driver’s tibias showed marginal and adequate protection and the passenger’s tibias showed good protection. Even the footwell was rated as stable, while the bodywork was rated as stable and able to withstand further loads.
For side impacts, head, abdomen and pelvis protection was observed to be good, while chest protection was marginal. Curtain airbags offered on both versions met the fitting requirements and a pole impact test was performed in a version with side head airbags that showed good protection for the head and pelvis, adequate protection for the abdomen and marginal protection for the chest.
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The seats for both the 18 month and 3 year old child were child safety oriented and installed rearward facing using the i-Size anchorages and a support leg and it was able to prevent head exposure during the frontal collision avoidance protection. It even provided full side impact protection.
