Maruti Suzuki currently has 15 models in its Indian product portfolio. The country’s largest carmaker has now announced that 9 out of these 15 models have satisfied the new crash test norms that are likely to be made mandatory for all cars from next year.
As part of its efforts to make Indian roads safe, the Government of India had announced regulatory compliance guidelines for car safety. According to these guidelines, all new cars launching from October 1, 2017 had to satisfy the full-frontal impact, off-set-frontal impact and side impact crash tests. Additionally, all cars on sale in India post October 1, 2019 will have to be compliant with these tests.
Ahead of these upcoming mandatory guidelines, Maruti Suzuki has announced 9 models that have passed the safety norms. These models include the S-Cross, Ciaz, Dzire, Swift, Celerio, Vitara Brezza, Baleno, Ertiga, and Ignis. It is worth noting that 2 out of these 9 models will be updated prior to the implementation of the safety guidelines. The Ciaz facelift will launch later this year, while a new gen Ertiga is expected in the first half of 2019. Both these upcoming models will be launched with the required safety equipment to clear the said guidelines.
Meanwhile, the 6 Maruti cars that failed to comply with the new crash test regulations include the Alto 800, Alto K10, Wagon R, Omni, Eeco, and Gypsy. In the official announcement, Maruti has claimed that ‘the rest of the models will be compliant to the crash norms ahead of the regulatory timelines.’
It is a known fact that Maruti is currently working on a new gen Wagon R as well as an update for the Alto twins. Meanwhile, the Gypsy is likely to be replaced by the new Suzuki Jimny, though the same has not yet been confirmed.
However, the future of models like the Omni & Eeco is uncertain. It is important to note that Maruti sells around 12,000 units of the Omni & Eeco every month. Hence, Maruti isn’t expected to leave these segments altogether. We expect to see some tweaks to these models to keep them relevant and satisfy the new crash test norms as well.