Mahindra & Mahindra’s Scorpio-N, also known as the Mahindra Scorpio in Australia and New Zealand, has faced a significant setback with a 0-star safety rating in the Australasian New Car Assessment Programme (ANCAP) crash tests.
This surprises many Indian Petrolheads, mainly because the Scorpio-N is one of the safest SUVs plying on Indian roads today. And this is not just us saying that. After all, the Scorpio-N received the coveted 5-star rating in the GNCAP or Global New Car Assessment Programme crash tests.
Scorpio-N in Australasia
Launched in Australia in April 2023 and New Zealand in August 2023, the Mahindra Scorpio-N is available in six- and seven-seat variants in these countries. The ANCAP safety rating applies to all versions of the SUV.
ANCAP evaluates vehicles across four key areas: adult occupation protection, child occupation protection, vulnerable road user protection, and safety assists.
The Scorpio-N scored 44 percent in Adult Occupant Protection, 80 percent in Child Occupant Protection, 23 percent in Vulnerable Road User Protection, and 0 percent in Safety Assists in the ANCAP crash tests. Here, the absence of ADAS features hurt the car’s score and caused it to fail automatically.
Why did the Scorpio-N fail in the ANCAP test?
The disparity in safety ratings is attributed to the stricter testing protocols employed by ANCAP, which mandate the inclusion of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) features like autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and lane support system (LSS). These features are currently unavailable in the Scorpio-N.
Australian safety regulations mandate including ADAS features in all passenger and commercial vehicles. The Mahindra Scorpio-N currently lacks these features, because of which, it scored a 0 in Safety Assists and just 23 percent in Vulnerable Road User Protection. The car failed the test since it scored nothing in one category and had a meager score in another.
Also, as per ANCAP, the Mahindra Scorpio-N is equipped with dual frontal, side chest-protecting, and side head-protecting airbags as standard. However, the side head-protecting airbags do not extend to protect occupants in the third row, and a center airbag to prevent occupant-to-occupant interaction is not available.
Indian customers need not be worried.
In an official statement, Mahindra emphasized its commitment to safety, highlighting the Scorpio-N’s earlier achievement as the first body-on-frame SUV in India to secure a 5-star safety rating. The company acknowledged the differences in safety regulations and pledged to meet the unique requirements for Australia in a product mid-cycle update.
Scorpio-N is a safe car, as shown by its 5-star GNCAP rating. However, it must include assisted driving features like autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and lane support systems. As per the regulations in Australia and New Zealand, these features aren’t just optional but a must for any new car.
However, the traffic situation in India is drastically different and not one that requires high levels of ADAS. Therefore, the low ANCAP safety rating should not concern Indian buyers.
