Mahindra has reacted after Bolero’s score went viral
Bolero has always been one of the top-selling SUVs in the county, and with the Bolero Neo and Neo+, Mahindra took the game a notch higher. After all, the ordinary Bolero was heavily used for commercial purposes, and therefore, the Neo tried to reach those who love Bolero but need more comfort and are suitable in the passenger segment.
Unfortunately, the Neo is now going viral once again, but for a negative reason. Recently, at the Global NCAP safety rating test, the Bolero Neo scored only one star in adult and child safety. In adult protection safety, the Neo scored 20.26 out of 34, achieving one star, whereas in child safety, the car scored only 12.71 out of a maximum of 49, achieving one star.
Despite the result, this is what Mahindra said, “We at Mahindra are committed to delivering vehicles that ensure the safety and satisfaction of our customers and users. The Bolero Neo is the trusted utility vehicle of choice in India, owing to its robust build, highly dependable nature, and its innate capability to handle a variety of usage conditions. Bolero Neo has always complied with safety regulations that have been introduced over time and continues to be fully compliant with the latest Indian safety standards.”
It will be interesting see if Mahindra decides to make any changes in the Neo or not. For now, let us take a look at some other lowest rated Global NCAP cars in India.
The successor of the legendary Omni, the Maruti Suzuki Eeco is one of the most unsafe cars in India. The Eeco was last tested in 2016 when it attained zero points for adult safety and merely two points for children's safety. For the record, the Eeco is mostly used for commercial purposes in India, and a good number of cars are used as school vans by private transportation companies. The Eeco’s base model begins at INR 5.98 lakh, ex-showroom.
Sold at Maruti Suzuki’s premium outlet Nexa, the Ignis scored one point in adult occupant protection, whereas it zero in child occupant protection. In the adult protection category, the car scored 16.48 points out of 34, whereas in the child protection category, it scored 3.86 points out of 49. Moving on to the car’s price, the Ignis starts at INR 5.84 lakh, ex-showroom and goes up to INR 8.11 lakh for the top trim.
The Maruti Suzuki Ignis
Over the years, Maruti Suzuki cars have gained the reputation of being “tin cars” and therefore, it is not a surprise that another car made it to this list. The hatchback named S-Presso earned one star rating in both adult and children occupant safety. The 998cc powered hatchback begins at INR 4.77 lakh ex-showroom and goes up to INR 6.90 lakh, ex-showroom for the top variant.
Another Maruti Suzuki product, the Swift, is one of the most unsafe cars in India, with one point scored each in the adult and child occupant protection categories. However, recently at the Japan NCAP, the car’s upcoming generation scored 99 per cent in safety measure parameters, 81 per cent in safety performance and 100 per cent in automatic accident emergency call system parameters. This gives us hope that the next-gen Swift will be better than the existing model.
Apart from these Maruti models, the Renault Kwid and Hyundai Grand iNios are also some of the most unsafe cars in India.
