Altroz, Tata Motors' rival to Baleno, secures five stars in safety ratings

Tata Motors has worked overtime to ensure that its next offering in India is a bold style statement in the otherwise rather sedate hatchback segment in the country. The Altroz, to be launched later in January, has indeed made heads turn courtesy its sleek looks but the car recently added another feather to its cap by securing five stars in the Global NCAP safety ratings.

Five stars is the maximum that any car put to the test by Global NCAP can secure and Altroz managed to breeze through to score high. To be offered with front two airbags as standard, the Altroz was appreciated for a stable structure and footwell area. Global NCAP also noted that head and neck protection was good and that chest protection for both adults in the front seats was adequate. "The driver and passenger's knees showed good protection," the final test report stated.

While the car shone bright in adult safety, it lost a few points for protection for child occupants. "The child seat for the 3 year old was installed FWF with ISOFIX and top tether and was able to prevent excessive forward movement during the impact, however the Backrest of rear seat unlatched during crash resulting in point reduction. The 3 year old dummy’s head contacted the interior of the car resulting also in a loss of points," read the report from Global NCAP.

The Altroz, nonetheless, was given a five-star safety rating to become only the second from Tata Motors to achieve this. The other car was Nexon back in December of 2018. "We are proud to have delivered yet another product that will be regarded as the safest passenger vehicle on Indian roads," said Mayank Pareek, President, Passenger Vehicles Business Unit at Tata Motors. "The Nexon was the proverbial guiding light for us in this aspect, and the Altroz has followed its footsteps, setting a new benchmark across the industry safety standards."

The hatchback from the company will be offered in two engine options - a 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine (84 hp and 114 Nm) and a 1.5-litre four-cylinder diesel motor (89 hp and 200 Nm - peak power and torque). Both engines will meet the BS 6 emission norms that will kick in from April 1. While the Altroz will feature a five-speed manual transmission with both engine options, an automatic is also being reportedly considered for a later stage.

Based on Tata Motors' ALFA (Agile, Light, Flexible and Advanced) platform, the designers have gone the extra mile to add style to the visual appeal of the Altroz. On the inside, the Altroz has a number of segment firsts including ambient lighting and six-speaker Harman sound unit.

The Altroz will lock horns with Baleno from Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai's Elite i20.