The Kia Sonet SUV manufactured in India is exported to the South African market. Recently, the model had to undergo crash tests under Global NCAP's Safer Cars for Africa programme, where it received only a 1 star rating for adult occupant protection. These results have become a topic of discussion in the automobile industry, especially because it is made in India.
Only dual frontal airbags were standard in the tested variant. Advanced safety features like side chest airbags, side curtain airbags, electronic stability control (ESC), autonomous emergency braking (AEB) were not available or were optional. According to the test report, adult occupant protection got 21.29 out of 34 points and child occupant protection got 28.57 out of 49 points.
In the crash test, the stability of the body shell of the vehicle was found to be unstable, due to which higher risk was observed in the head, abdomen and pelvis area. Chest protection remained weak despite the presence of seatbelt pretensioners and load limiters. Child protection also remained below average.
Comparison with Indian variants
Six airbags are now standard across all variants of the Kia Sonet sold in India. Also ESC, Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), Hill Assist Control (HAC) and other advanced safety systems are provided. The company says that the variant prepared for the Indian market is much safer than the South African model.
Kia Motors has issued a statement saying that the safety features were kept limited keeping in mind the needs and cost of the South African market. But in markets like India, customer safety is given priority.
Importance of Safer Cars for Africa Program
This test was conducted under the Safer Cars for Africa initiative, which aims to improve the safety level of affordable cars in African countries. According to Global NCAP, many automakers save costs by limiting basic safety features in developing markets, which can prove dangerous for passengers.
Auto experts believe that it is common to have different specifications for export markets, but this can affect the brand image. This is good news for Indian customers that the domestic variants are safer, but there is a need to pay attention to the safety of export models as well.
Kia Sonet is quite popular in the compact SUV segment in India. It is available with turbo petrol, diesel and hybrid options. The company has recently given many updates in the facelift model, in which the safety features have been strengthened. Its ex-showroom price starts at just ₹ 8 lakh.