This Monday, Maruti Suzuki announced the standardisation of six airbags across its popular entry-level models—WagonR, Alto K10, Celerio, and Eeco.
Maruti Offering 6 Airbags To Entry Level Model
With this announcement, the company has become the second automaker in India to offer this essential safety feature in vehicles priced below ₹6 lakh.
In this segment, Hyundai was the first automobile manufacturer to have already taken this step in 2023 by implementing six airbags as standard across all its models.
This latest move by Maruti Suzuki appears to be aligned with an earlier commitment made by Maruti Suzuki chairman RC Bhargava in April.
According to him, their company’s goal is to equip all its vehicles with six airbags as standard by the end of 2025.
As we know, several models in Maruti Suzuki’s models—including the S-Presso, Baleno, Fronx, Ignis, Ciaz, Ertiga, and XL6—still do not feature six airbags as standard, as mentioned in the company’s official website.
It appears that these models are retailed through both its NEXA and ARENA outlets.
In this newly standardised six-airbag configuration, they are offering dual front airbags, side airbags, and curtain airbags.
Moving ahead, this comprehensive system is complemented by three-point seat belts for all passengers along with seat belt reminders further ensuring the maximum safety effectiveness.
While talking about this initiative, senior executive officer, Maruti Suzuki India, Partho Banerjee said, “India’s rapidly expanding modern road infrastructure, high-speed expressways, and evolving mobility patterns imply that the need for robust safety measures has never been greater. With the decision of making 6 airbags standard in the WagonR, Alto K10, Celerio, and Eeco, we are ensuring that enhanced safety is available for all.”
Indian Government Reviewing Existing Vehicle Safety Norms to Mandate Six Airbags
In the meantime, the Indian government is reviewing existing vehicle safety norms since they are considering an update that could mandate six airbags as standard in all M1 category passenger vehicles, up from the current requirement of two.
While many automakers are considering this shift toward improved safety while other homegrown automakers such as Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra have yet to fully align.
For instance, Tata’s entry-level models such as Punch, Tiago, Tigor, and Altroz which are priced around ₹6 lakh still lack six airbags in their base variants.
In case of Mahindra, they do not offer any models below ₹6 lakh but they are also not including six airbags in the standard variant of its entry-level Bolero.
