Three star safety for Suzuki Swift
The most affordable car in its class has been slammed by safety authorities, who claim its maker has prioritised cost over the safety of its customers.
Europe’s crash testing authority has questioned the safety priorities of Suzuki after the new Swift hybrid fell short of a five-star safety score, returning a three-star rating this week.
Euro NCAP secretary-general Dr Michiel van Ratingen said a three-star score for the new Suzuki Swift showed the brand had prioritised costs over the safety of its customers.
“The emphasis is on affordability, but consumers should be in no doubt that there are competitor vehicles to the … Swift available on the market, which offer considerably higher levels of safety”.
“This is something you cannot put a price on.”
A statement released by EuroNCAP said “Suzuki has long been a manufacturer of small, simple, and affordable cars” and that it was “no surprise” it only earned three stars.
The Swift misses out on tech included in rival cars, such as a front centre airbag mounted between the driver and passenger, a driver monitoring system intended to make sure motorists watch the road and child presence detection features designed to prevent kids being locked in hot cars.
It also starts from $24,490 drive-away, making it the cheapest hybrid hatchback in Australia – about $8,000 less than Toyota’s Yaris hybrid.
Tech differences between Australian and European models could see the Swift earn a higher score here.
Australia’s ANCAP safety body says “Suzuki Australia has informed ANCAP that the safety specification of Suzuki Swift vehicles sold in Australia and New Zealand is different to the specification sold in Europe and these specification differences may alter the safety performance of locally-supplied vehicles”.
The car is technically “unrated” in Australia. ANCAP says it will “look to determine a locally-applicable rating for the new Suzuki Swift once detail on the specification differences is confirmed by Suzuki Australia”.
Speaking at the local launch of the Swift in June, Suzuki Australia general manager Michael Pachota said the brand aimed to earn a local five-star rating despite the missing features.
“I’m hoping that it does score that way,” he said.
“I had very good discussions with Japan around the competitive nature the vehicle needs to have, in terms of what the Australian consumer expects, and where we will be priced competitively.
“I wanted to sit in the sweet spot and I believe we’ve found it.
“We picked the right models with the right specifications to sit in this sweet spot from 25 to 30 grand.”
Modern tech such as driver monitoring systems and front-centre airbags can add thousands to the price of a new car. Toyota’s Yaris set customers back about $20,000 drive-away in 2020, rising to more than $32,000 drive-away today.
A low score might not deter Suzuki customers.
Suzuki’s Jimny four-wheel-drive is a smash hit in Australia despite scoring just three stars with ANCAP in 2018.
Pachota said the bare-bones approach in the Jimny reflected the needs of a customer happy to miss out on bells and whistles.
“That’s what that buyer wants,” he said.
“That buyer wants a simple car – simple, yet capable. It’s very capable and fit for purpose.”
Car manufacturers appear to be pushing back against safety authorities due to the rising cost of achieving a five-star result.
A number of brands have allowed their five-star ratings to lapse on popular vehicles that haven’t been updated to include the latest safety equipment.
ANCAP has adopted a new ratings system that introduces expiry dates for vehicles that haven’t been tested for several years.
But rather than updating the vehicles and having them retested many makers have simply allowed the rating to lapse. The cars appear on the ANCAP website as “unrated”.
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