Cruel blow for Mahindra after XUV300’s 5-star safety rating

Bittersweet for Indian carmaker as Mahindra XUV300 stock shortage keeps it from capitilising on achievement of being first car in Africa to achieve highest safety rating.

The Mahindra XUV300 during the Global NCAP crash test

Despite the Mahindra XUV300′ distinction of being the first vehicle to be awarded the maximum of five stars by Global NCAP as part of its #SaferCarsForAfrica initiative, the car’s local availability is critically low.

According to Mahindra local interested in the compact SUV spiked after the announced of the safety rating in late January, but a combination of various factors means that the Indian carmaker can not keep up with demand. As a result, sales numbers has taken a dramatic knock. After selling over 80 XUV300s per month for most months towards the end of last year, Mahindra has only sold 81 in the first four months of 2021.

The global shortage of semiconductor chips as well as automotive part suppliers in India diverting their efforts to producing medical equipment to help fight the country’s critical spike in Covid-infections has had a drastic effect on the assembly line in Nashik, Maharashtra.

Mahindra reckons that the current XUV300 stock shortage will last for at least another month, but remains hopeful that sales will pick again once new shipments do come in.

Aside from receiving four stars for child safety, the Mahindra XUV 300, tested in South African-spec, scored full marks for adult and overall protection with the findings by the Euro NCAP and Automobile Association (AA) affiliate finding “adequate protection” for the driver’s chest and “good” levels of protection for the passenger.

“This is a milestone event for the #SaferCarsforAfrica project, and signals that it is possible to achieve this excellent rating for vehicles in our market. We are particularly pleased that this rating has been achieved through a compliance review. We applaud the fact that there is a reasonably priced five star vehicle available in Africa which gives consumers a safe choice when purchasing a new car,” AA South Africa CEO Willem Groenewald said.

Towards Zero Foundation President David Ward has described the rating as a “landmark moment for vehicle safety in Africa”, while Mahindra South Africa CEO Rajesh Gupta branded it as the “best possible confirmation that safety is integrated into the very design and structure of the XUV300”.

Click here for more on the Mahindra XUV300’s specifications.

“If one combines the vehicle’s passive safety with its performance, including its exemplary road holding and dynamic handling, it is the perfect SUV for the South African family. It boasts of an unmatched value proposition in terms of style, safety, performance and features,” he said.

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