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Barely two years after it was introduced into the South Africa local market, Indian popular brand, Tata Bolt sedan, has passed the Global New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) safety tests. This feat is coming in a market where some lower cost models are being faulted for a lack of standard safety equipment.
“We, at Tata, are delighted that the Tata Bolt sedan, which was introduced to the local market in 2015, has earned a four-star safety rating from Global NCAP. This model is fitted with two front airbags and has anti-skid braking (ABS) as part of the Bolt’s comprehensive list of standard equipment,” the company said in a statement.
The Secretary-General of the Global NCAP, David Ward, was also excited at the feat.
“It is encouraging to see a major Indian brand like Tata improving the safety of their models,” he said.
The affordable new Bolt, in both sedan and hatchback configuration, joined the local Tata line-up in 2015. The introduction of the Bolt into the keenly-contested lower end of the local car market came after a three-year gap to the introduction of new models by Tata in South Africa.
A well-appointed, spacious cabin with an impressive list of standard equipment make these newcomers from India strong contenders in a category which is dominated by entries from Europe, Korea and Japan and is one of the most keenly contested sectors in the South African market.
“Safety features rate high on Tata Motors’ priority list with airbags for the driver and front passenger as well as speed-sensitive automatic door locking standard equipment,” explained Kyri Michael, the CEO of Accordian Investments, which markets and distributes Tata passenger cars and light commercials in South Africa.
“The Bolt is equipped with ninth generation Bosch ABS for the disc/drum braking system with electronic brake distribution (EBD), including a corner-braking feature,” Michael added.
“As the name suggests, the Bolt sedan and hatch exude excitement and energy and are worthy examples of Tata Motors recently-launched vehicles. The strategy is to introduce several new products over a five-year period to significantly grow the company’s market share internationally,” said Michael.
The Bolt is the result of a culmination of ideas from Tata Motors’ three design studios, located across the globe, to ensure international appeal. The new models were shown for the first time in concept form at the Delhi Motor Show in 2014 and went on sale in India in January 2015.
Tata, which has retailed more than 65, 000 cars and light commercials in South Africa since its products arrived there in 2004, said it aims to become a bigger player in the local market while embarking on an energetic programme to renew Tata’s brand awareness locally as well as putting increased focus on quality after-sales service.
