Suzuki questions ‘one-star’ rating in South Africa
The Global New Car Assessment Programme (GNCAP) has given the South African version of the Suzuki Ertiga a one-star safety rating, but the automobile company has questioned the results.
GNCAP’s crash tech protocols assess frontal and side impact protection for all models, as well as Electronic Stability Control (ESC).
However, in the latest #SaferCarsforAfrica testing, all three South African cars that were tested registered incredibly low safety scores.
The cars tested were:
- Maruti Suzuki Ertiga (2 airbags standard)
- Kia Pegas (2 airbags standard)
- Renault Triber (2 airbags standard)
“We are disappointed to see global brands like Renault, Kia and Maruti Suzuki offer such a low safety performance in markets like South Africa whilst achieving much higher levels of protection in many other global markets,” said Alejandro Furas, Global NCAP Secretary General.
“We remain concerned at the low ratings received from the manufacturers, but we are confident they will use these results to improve their safety moving forward,” added Sikkie Kajee, Chairman of the Automobile Association.
“Issues with double standards persist regarding vehicles made for Africa, but again, we are assured these matters are being addressed and are confident that in the future, we will see fewer discrepancies than we currently do.”
The ratings
The India-made Ertiga’s structure was rated as borderline unstable.
Its footwell area was rated as unstable and pedal displacement showed injury risks to the lower legs of the driver.
That said, the head and neck protection for adults was good, while the chest protection for the passenger was good, even if the driver’s chest protection only received marginal protection.
Side impact protection showed good protection for the head, pelvis and abdomen, while there was adequate protection for the chest.
Global NCAP said that Ertiga does not even offer side airbags as an option. In addition, the passenger pretensioner failed to work properly.
Child occupant protection was poor for the 18-month-old dummy used in the test.
The Child Restraint System (CRS) was also installed in the forward-facing position, whilst best practice indicates a rearward-facing position offers better protection for this age group.
Side impact child protection, however, was good.
“The Ertiga only offers a lap belt in the rear centre position which explains the significant points loss in child occupant protection,” said Global NCAP.
“The passenger airbag cannot be disconnected if a rearward-facing CRS is installed in the front seat. The Ertiga offers standard ISOFIX anchorages.”
Suzuki hits back at report
In response to the report, Suzuki has raised several vital concerns about the testing.
It noted that the Ertiga in the test is from 2019 and is an older generation model that does not have any of the safety upgrades that Suzuki has since added.
In addition, the group claims that the Ertiga tested was built for Indian customer specifications for the Indian market and was never for sale in South Africa.
Suzuki said that the images and videos show the same unique vehicle identifier (OD2119MER1) in the videos for both the #SaferCarsForIndia 2019 and #SaferCarsForAfrica 2024 tests, meaning the 2024 test was not reflective of 2024 standards.
Both videos, which can be found below, are also identical.
Suzuki added that the testing protocols used by the GNCAP have changed significantly in the last five years, with the most recent protocols published in 2022.
With the GNCAP changes, the Ertiga tested in 2019 received a three-star safety rating for driver and passenger safety. The same information was then considered only worthy of a one-star rating in the recent report without retesting.
“By only referring to the year 2024, the report’s authors—perhaps inadvertently—create the impression that all tests were conducted recently and with the same model.”
“It is highly possible that the quality and sensitivity of vehicle testing equipment, including the crash test dummies, have improved significantly over the past five years,” said Suzuki
“The child restraints used in the two tests are not the same, which may further support the assumption that the dummies used in the two tests were different and the data collected from them incomparable.”
Suzuki also questioned how the Ertiga had the highest side impact rating of all the vehicles tested, yet the overall score received was the lowest.
Other results for the #SaferCarsforAfrica testing can be found:
Read: What you need to earn to send your kids to the best-performing private schools in South Africa
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