Hyundai announces 6 airbags as ‘standard’ across all variants

Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Korean giant Hyundai Motor Company (HMC), today announced all its models will now be available with 6 airbags as "standard" across all variants, becoming the first mass automaker to do so.

The current decision comes in the wake of the carmaker receiving a 5-star safety rating for the Hyundai Verna from Global NCAP.

Notably, Hyundai India was already offering six airbags as "standard" on a majority of its offerings, barring a few like the Hyundai Vanue, Hyundai Aura, and Hyundai Grand i10 Nios. These were fitted with four airbags, with the option of two more in higher variants.

As the government pushes for higher norms, Hyundai this year also made it mandatory for all its models to have three-point seatbelts with reminders.

Unsoo Kim, MD & CEO, says: “At Hyundai ‘Safety-for-all’ is our utmost priority and we have been benchmark creators in standardisation of vehicle safety features. Now, we are elated to announce the standardisation of 6 Airbags across all models & all variants."

Additionally, says Kim, Hyundai Motor India achieved a key milestone, with Hyundai VERNA being rated as 5-star for adult and child occupant protection by GNCAP.

The company, in a statement, says a suite of active and passive safety features, combined with a strong body structure, helped Hyundai VERNA achieve a 5-star rating in GNCAP testing.

"Hyundai VERNA features over 30 standard safety features such as 6 airbags, ESC (electronic stability control) with VSM (vehicle stability management), hill start assist control (HAC), impact sensing auto door unlock, emergency stop signal (ESS), ISOFIX, headlamp escort function, etc. Additionally, Hyundai VERNA comes equipped with over 65 safety features including advanced safety features such as Hyundai smartsense – level 2 ADAS, front parking sensors, electronic parking brake, and TPMS (Highline)."

Hyundai Motor India's line-up includes models like Grand i10 NIOS, i20, i20 N-Line, AURA, EXTER, VENUE, VENUE N-Line, VERNA, CRETA, ALCAZAR, TUCSON, KONA Electric and all-electric SUV IONIQ 5.

The company’s latest offering EXTER, an entry-level SUV (sports utility vehicle), was launched in July 2023 at a starting price of ₹5.9 lakh. With the launch of EXTER, the company eyeing to expand its SUV portfolio in India.

The company registered its "highest ever" sales of 71 641 units in September 2023, which includes domestic sales of 54,241 units and exports of 17,400 units.

According to Tarun Garg, COO, Hyundai Motor India, the ongoing festive season has resulted in a "strong" sales momentum, helping the company achieve more than 9% growth YoY in domestic sales in September 2023. "Our strong SUV portfolio has received a further boost with the exceptional customer response to the newly launched Hyundai EXTER. SUVs now contribute to more than 65% of our domestic sales."