Safety First - First on Safety. The Skoda Kushaq

We have a new benchmark for the safest family car in the market. It is from European automotive giant, Skoda. The Skoda KUSHAQ has earned itself a full 5-stars in the latest Global New Car Assessment Programme or GNCAP. It is a major project of the Towards Zero Foundation, a UK registered charity.

In January 2014, GNCAP started its 'Safer Cars for India' project. Soon, it became the standard for Indian customers to gauge the crashworthiness of cars they wanted to buy. It is only now that crash-safety and the star ratings of GNCAP tests are making their way into the Indian car-buyer's psyche, which is otherwise dominated by fuel efficiency, features or a sunroof.

Skoda, in their 2-decade history in India, have always delivered safe cars meeting international standards of passenger safety. While all of them have been on their global platform, the KUSHAQ is the first time Skoda has put out a car made-for-India on a platform specifically developed keeping the needs of the Indian customer in mind. It is this MQB-A0-IN platform that the KUSHAQ sits on. So if you had any doubts that any corners have been cut, well no sir. In fact, the latest ratings of the KUSHAQ show that forget cutting corners, Skoda have gone and set new benchmarks for other car manufacturers in India.

The Kushaq has earned the highest safety rating ever by a car manufactured in India. With a score of 29.64 out of 34 for adult safety and 42 out of 49 for child safety, the Kushaq has achieved a new milestone for made-in-India cars. This is under GNCAP's newer, updated test protocols. Which makes this achievement even more significant. Moreover, another first scored by the KUSHAQ besides being tested under the more stringent standards, is that is has scored a full 5-stars even in child occupant protection. It is the only car in India to do.

The new test protocols cover Frontal and Side Crash protection, Child protection, Safety assist and many other active safety systems under their base parameters.

The key element to attain the high score in the child safety protection was the fact that ISOFIX mounts come as standard making it easy to install child seats in the rear. This prevents head exposure in both frontal and side impact conditions keeping children safe. According to GNCAP, with a strong and crash-absorbent bodyshell, the stable Kushaq provides optimum protection to adults in the front of the car. The results showed that the advanced airbag system is thoroughly efficient and mitigates severe injuries. With advanced safety features like Electronic Stability control, ABS, Traction Control, Hill Hold Assist, the Kushaq is loaded and sturdy enough to ensure you and your family stay safe in a Skoda.

It is a proud moment for Skoda to have achieved such successes in car that was specifically developed and produced in India for the world. Moreover, it is a matter of pride for us to see India acting as a development, manufacturing and export hub for world class cars standing up to international standards of quality and crash safety.

Mr. Petr Šolc, Brand Director ŠKODA AUTO India

"At ŠKODA, safety is not just a feature. It is an essential part of our brand DNA. Today, I am extremely proud to share that the KUSHAQ has received a 5-star safety rating by Global NCAP for both adult and child occupants, making it the first car made in India to do so. It is a proud moment for all of us at ŠKODA to have India's safest family car leading our growth story in India. The KUSHAQ, along with the SLAVIA, drives the success of ŠKODA's INDIA 2.0 project. In a very short time, it has created a space for itself among SUV enthusiasts across the country. The intelligent, Simply Clever solutions and advanced safety features have been appreciated by experts as well as our valuable customers."

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