Citroen Basalt Earns 4-Star Rating in Bharat NCAP, India’s Safest Coupe SUV
Citroen Basalt Becomes India’s Safest Coupe SUV with 4-Star Safety Rating in Bharat NCAP
Citroen Basalt has emerged as India’s safest coupe SUV, earning a 4-star safety rating in the Bharat New Car Assessment Program (BNCAP) crash tests for both adult and child protection categories, applicable to all variants. In the crash test, the vehicle scored 26.19 points out of 32 for adult safety and 35.90 points out of 49 for child protection.
BNCAP Tested Basalt as the First Citroen Vehicle in India
The Basalt is the fifth vehicle to undergo testing at BNCAP, following models like Tata Safari, Harrier, Nexon, and Punch, all of which received 5-star safety ratings in crash tests. This marks Citroen’s first Indian vehicle to be tested by the agency.
All Variants Underwent Testing in August
Although the crash test occurred in August, BNCAP released the results today (October 13). The Indian agency tested various Basalt variants, including the NA Petrol trims, U and Plus, and Turbo Petrol trims, Plus and Max, with both manual and automatic transmission options.
Launched in August with Advanced Safety Features
Citroen Basalt was launched by the French company in August this year, with an ex-showroom starting price of ₹7.99 lakh, going up to ₹13.57 lakh for top variants. This SUV-coupe is equipped with six airbags and advanced safety features.
Citroen Basalt: Adult Occupant Protection in Crash Test
In the frontal impact test conducted at 64 km/h, the Basalt scored 10.19 points out of 16. The test revealed that the head and neck protection for both the driver and passenger was adequate. However, the chest safety for the driver was found to be marginal, while the passenger’s chest safety was deemed sufficient. The test also rated the driver’s thighs as marginal in terms of safety, while the right leg was adequately protected, and the left leg received a marginal rating. For the passenger, the right leg had good protection, and the left leg had adequate protection.
Side Impact Test: 16/16 Points Scored
In the side impact test, conducted at 50 km/h, the Basalt achieved a full score of 16/16. The protection for the driver’s head, abdomen, and hips was found to be excellent, and chest protection was also deemed good.
Crash Test Process Overview
- For the test, 4 to 5 human-like dummies are seated in the car, with a child dummy secured in an ISOFIX seat on the rear seat.
- The vehicle is crashed into an offset deformable barrier (hard object) at a fixed speed to assess damage to the vehicle and dummies. Tests are done in three ways:
- Frontal impact test at 64 km/h into a barrier.
- Side impact test at 50 km/h into a barrier.
- Pole side impact test, where the car crashes into a pole at a fixed speed. This test is conducted if the car scores 3 stars in the first two tests.
- After the impact, the damage to the dummies and the functioning of airbags and safety features are observed. Based on these factors, the vehicle receives its safety rating.
