A video emerges online where a car expert is comparing the safety of Tata Nano, Nexon and Altroz.
In a strange video clip online, a foreigner talks about the evolution of the safety prowess of Tata cars from Nano, to Altroz and Nexon. He has the three vehicles side by side after the crash test. However, it is quite random to compare the erstwhile cheapest car in the world to a premium hatchback or a compact SUV in terms of safety capabilities. Sure, Tata Motors has worked immensely on ensuring that its latest offerings come with the highest possible safety ratings as per the new testing standards. But to compare the strength of Nano to Nexon is quite illogical. Let us get into the details of this case here.
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Tata Nano, Nexon and Altroz Safety
This video has been doing rounds on the internet. The host claims that the safety standards of Tata Motors have evolved tremendously in the last decade. In 2014, Tata Nano took the safety test at the Global NCAP. It went in with the title of being the ‘people’s car’. The vehicle had no airbags and it was crashed at 64 km/h, as is the norm. However, the car was adjudged 0 stars both in adult occupant protection and child occupant protection. Furthermore, the bodyshell of the Nano was deemed unstable. All this meant little to the customers at the time.
I believe it was only after the arrival of Tata Nexon in 2017 that things changed. More precisely, when Tata Nexon secured a full 5-star safety rating at the Global NCAP in 2018, people started taking safety seriously. Ever since that time, Tata Motors has been coming up with safer and safer vehicles. Today, all its cars (except for Tiago and Tigor which are 4-star rated) boast an impressive 5-star rating. While that is a testament to the existing state of affairs at Tata Motors, we can’t compare this safety rating to that of the Nano.
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Unfair Comparison
There are a few reasons for that. The safety standards and testing protocols were way different back then. With time, the testing procedure keeps getting stricter and stricter. Moreover, the safety standards evolution would’ve been fair had the host compared the performance of the same car in different generations over a timeframe of a decade. But to compare the 0 stars of the Nano to the 5 stars of Altroz and Nexon doesn’t exactly prove anything. The aim of the Nano was to offer a four-wheeler to the customers at the least expensive price point. In fact, the target audience was those who were looking to upgrade from a two-wheeler.
Hence, safety or performance was not at the top of the priority list for Tata Motors. What mattered was the price. As a result, it had to curtail various aspects to keep the cost in check. Had the man compared the Nano’s rating back then to what it would’ve been today (if it were still in production), it would’ve been a fairer comparison. I could’ve deduced something from that. But to say that Tata Motors made unsafe cars back in 2014 (Nano) and it makes safer cars today (Nexon, Altroz, Punch, Safari, Harrier) is like comparing apples to oranges.
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Author’s Note
I would like to highlight that I would’ve appreciated it if the expert would put the variant generations of the Nexon side by side to see how safe the new models are in contrast to the old. That would’ve offered us the real picture. Nevertheless, I am not saying that Tata Motors has not worked on this aspect. In fact, I am a huge proponent of safer cars. We must credit Tata Motors for commencing this tradition of offering cars with high safety ratings in every segment. But we must take these videos and their conclusions with a grain of salt.
