Volkswagen Taigun, Skoda Kushaq score 5 stars in updated Global NCAP tests

Volkswagen Taigun and Skoda Kushaq have scored 5-stars in the recently updated Global NCAP crash tests. Global NCAP’s safety protocol was recently upgraded for India, as a part of the initiative to increase car safety in the country. With a five-star rating, Volkswagen Taigun and Skoda Kushaq now belong to the list of ‘Safest SUVs in India’ which includes Mahindra’s XUV700 and XUV300, and Tata’s Nexon and Punch. Volkswagen Taigun and Skoda Kushaq are both jointly manufactured in India.

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Volkswagen Taigun & Skoda Kushaq Global NCAP test results

Kushaq and Taigun are the first two cars currently being sold in India to undergo the updated Global NCAP tests. The new testing protocol takes into account pedestrian protection, pole side impact, and seat belt reminder points, and requires Electronic Stability Control as standard across all variants. If ESC isn’t available across all variants, GNCAP requires it to be offered as a standard feature within two years of publishing the tests.

Skoda Kushaq and Volkswagen Taigun scored 29.64 points out of 34 in the adult occupant protection test. In the child occupant protection test, both SUVs secured 42 points out of a possible 49. In the adult occupant protection test, the testers commented that ‘Driver’s chest showed adequate protection and passenger’s chest showed good protection. Driver’s and passenger’s knees showed good protection.’ The body shell was rated as stable and was deemed capable of withstanding further loadings.

Alejandro Furas, Secretary General of Global NCAP, 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 urge all car makers to aspire to and achieve this level of crash test performance going forward, maintaining the momentum of safety improvements we have seen steadily develop through our programme since we began our Indian testing in 2014”.  

Commenting on the five-star rating, Piyush Arora, Managing Director and CEO of Skoda Auto Volkswagen India, said, “Safety has always been central to our R&D process and the made-in-India, made-for-India MQB-A0-IN platform is no exception.”

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Conclusion

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari recently announced that soon India will have its own Bharat NCAP rating, which will follow the guidelines of Global NCAP. Volkswagen Taigun and Skoda Kushaq come with safety features like ABS with EBD, ESC, TPMS, Hill Hold Control, Multi Collision Braking, Rear Parking Distance Control, and more.