ANCAP requirements front of mind for Mahindra

MAHINDRA will target the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating for all its future models, the Indian brand doubling down on its ambitions to become a mainstream brand in the Australian market.

The company currently offers two passenger-focused models in this market – the petrol-powered seven-seat XUV700 family SUV and the diesel off-road-focused Scorpio 4x4 – and neither of them has a current ANCAP safety rating.

Both vehicles have been tested by Global NCAP, a safety authority that focuses more on vehicle occupant safety than collision avoidance technology implementation.

However, Mahindra senior executives say that all future models are being designed to meet the requirements for the maximum safety rating, including the required crash avoidance technology that forms a large part of the current protocol for the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).

Speaking to GoAuto in India last week, Mahindra Auto head of APAC Joydeep Moitra said the company understands – and does not underestimate – the importance of achieving a high score in safety testing, and the importance of that scorecard for potential buyers.

“Clearly, we respect the fact that we are very, very conscious about safety. But yes, this is also product design and development, and it takes time so clearly, as I said, as part of our mid-cycle enhancements and all the newer new products they will all be designed with five-star,” he said.

Mr Moitra was also referring to changes to the Scorpio model, which was homologated in Australia just in time that it did not need to offer technologies such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB).

As such, that model offers no Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) technologies at all.

The XUV700 does have a suite of safety technology on offer, including AEB, adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning lane-keeping assist and traffic sign recognition, and high-grade models also score a blind-spot camera system.

Additional items would still be required to achieve the maximum five-star ANCAP rating for the SUV pair, and the brand has stated that it intends to offer a level of safety technology and equipment that could see a five-star score awarded to the “mid-cycle enhancements” of each model.

“We will work our way through the mid-cycle enhancements of these existing products as well as the new products, but those longer-term products are all phased,” said Mr Moitra.

However, some off-road enthusiasts are vocal about the fact that some of these technologies and systems can interrupt the enjoyment of driving their vehicle, not to mention the potential pitfalls of damaging expensive technological systems while off-road driving.

Plus, the added tech will inherently mean added cost, which is something Mahindra is very mindful of as a challenger brand with a reputation for offering value for money.

Ankit Taneja, Mahindra Australia national head, said the brand may also consider the option of having an optional safety package for Scorpio, if there is a groundswell of customers who do not want the technology.

“That’s actually a good idea. We will see how it goes, because as a part of the product lifecycle upgrade, all these things will come in Scorpio at some point in time, and that's what we mentioned during the launch also,” said Mr Taneja.

“But whether to keep it optional for the segment of people who really don't want it is something we'll see when the time comes.”

Then there is the other potential eventuality – that, despite the addition of ADAS systems, a vehicle may still not achieve the maximum safety rating.

In that instance, Mr Moitra said the company would still likely offer the vehicle and leave it up to the customer to make their own choice.

“I think finally it’s the customer who decides, in that sense we know that the cars are intrinsically very safe for the occupant, there are no issues as such,” he added. 

“Therefore, it would not (stop us selling a car without five stars). But yes, we are mindful of this, and we have already addressed this in our product planning.”

While brands aspire to achieve five stars, as it does help market their models to consumers and businesses alike, the reality is that a car that scores four stars against the current, ever-tighter criteria, is likely safer than a model that achieved five stars just a few years ago.

Mr Moitra said that the brand is working towards offering a broad-reaching range of safety gear – it just will not happen in the immediate term.

“These are mid-cycle enhancements. It will take time. There will be no shortcuts taken just to be quick into the market,” he emphasised.

“We will do our thorough work to make sure that we are meeting every requirement, everything is well tested out, especially in Australian conditions because ADAS has to be tested in Australia, for Australia, and it doesn’t make sense to have an ADAS which is for European conditions put in into an Australian market car.

“So, the amount of time that it needs to be designed, developed and then tested in Australia – that last part is the most important thing – it takes probably about six months to get in all the road-load data and get that into the system software. So clearly all that testing will be done.”

It is clear that Mahindra is serious about its new generation of models offering the required technologies, and at the SUV proving track outside Chennai this week, your correspondent was privy to witness dozens of camouflaged new-generation EV models undergoing testing.

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