Before sedans go extinct on Indian roads, it is our duty to protect these species (pun intended). Lately, carmakers such as Skoda and Volkswagen have tried their best to reintroduce this segment in India with a lot of practicality but the sales figures have not been much encouraging if we compare it against the SUVs. So basically, both the Skoda Slavia and Volkswagen Virtus are underrated and still demand justice.
Never mind, the recent Global NCAP reports are out now and the news is that both Skoda Slavia and Volkswagen Virtus have scored a full 5-star. What about now? Will the overall sales go up? Nobody knows but want to learn more about this crash test? Here are all the details related to it below.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Recently, Skoda Slavia and VW Virtus have scored 5 stars.
- It is the Global NCAP where the sedans have performed well.
- Both sedans are now one of the safest sedans in the market.
What is Global NCAP Crash Test all about?
The FIA Foundation, an independent UK-registered trust has been working towards promoting road safety for several years now. The trust’s aim is to promote sustainable mobility while keeping in mind the public interest such as road safety, protection of the environment, green mobility, etc among others.
Interestingly, the Global NCAP on which we have been focusing is a project undertaken by Towards Zero Foundation, which is again a UK-based trust working towards the goal of halving road deaths and serious injuries by 2030. These two foundations have been working closely towards road safety with various suggestions to improve the same.
In 2014, the Global NCAP came up with the #SaferCarsForIndia campaign and in 2022 it was one of the most successful campaigns with an aim to promote road safety.
Safety Features on Skoda Slavia and Volkswagen Virtus
Both the models that were tested have dual front airbags, tyre pressure monitoring system, ISOFIX child seat mounts, traction control and ESC as standard. This way, both of them were quite amply loaded with basic safety features.
Results
Both the sedans went through rigorous frontal, side barrier and side pole impact tests and we are glad to inform you that the scores have been encouraging enough. The new Slavia and Virtus have scored 29.71 points out of 34 for adult occupants and 42 out of 49 for child safety.
Interestingly, Global NCAP has rated the bodyshell integrity of the sedan as stable. Even the footwell area remains intact after the impact.
While addressing the media, Alejandro Furas, Secretary General of Global NCAP said, “Since 2014 Global NCAP has been encouraging a market shift in India for safer cars. We have been delighted with the positive response from Indian automakers and some global automakers as well.”