Some Entry Luxury Sedans Fall Behind on Active Safety
- Gobar NCRAP
- Jul 13, 2024
- 2 min read
Gobar NCRAP has released the safety equipment ratings for entry luxury sedans from BYD, Toyota and Škoda.
BYD SEAL
The battery electric BYD SEAL was launched earlier this year, showing off its performance and technology.
The SEAL does not disappoint on safety either, with a strong suite of safety features across the board. The SEAL arrives as an import from China and retains largely the same safety specification as the global car, even bringing state-of-the-art technologies like a front centre airbag, pretensioners for the rear seatbelts and advanced forms of automatic emergency braking (AEB), and earns a 'BEST PICK'. The only exception to this rule is that the Indian SEAL is not compatible with i-Size child restraints, unlike its European counterpart.
Toyota CAMRY
The hybrid electric Toyota CAMRY and conventionally powered Škoda SUPERB have gained a reputation for their comfortable, large backseats.
It comes as an unpleasant surprise, then, that neither of these cars has seatbelt reminders for the rear seats. The SUPERB, in particular, is a previous generation relaunched this year as an import from Europe, and comes with a hefty price tag that throws its "entry luxury" status into question. Yet, it comes with a pared down safety specification for India, missing out on even a host on crash avoidance technologies. The "new" car arrives as an import from Europe and won't have to be homologated here, so it doesn't have to meet our April 2025 deadline for rear seatbelt reminders, which Škoda have already fitted to locally manufactured models like the SLAVIA and KUSHAQ, and even the larger KODIAQ assembled from knockdown kits.
However, both the Škoda and the Toyota put up a very strong show when it comes to crash protection equipment, offering, for example, side airbags for even the rear seats. Despite that, the lack of rear seatbelt reminders means they must settle for overall ratings of 'FAIR'.
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