Mahindra South Africa, part of the USD 19.4 billion Mahindra Group, today announced that its compact SUV, the XUV300, has been awarded the highest 5-Star Safety Rating by Global NCAP. With this global recognition, the XUV300 becomes the first ever vehicle in Africa to score the highest safety rating among cars tested so far by Global NCAP.

The XUV300 has also become one of the vehicles in Africa to score a 4-Star child safety rating. It is noteworthy that side-impact performance is a pre-requisite for a 5-Star safety rating, and the XUV300 side-impact performance has been one of the best among all 5-star-rated cars.

The #SaferCarsForAfrica safety rating shows that XUV300 received 5-star rating for its adult protection in the GNCAP crash tests with the highest ever score. The XUV300 sets a new safety benchmark for Africa.

“Mahindra has made a public commitment to provide the safest vehicles possible and the GNCAP rating is a welcome accolade and a first for Africa from the global authority on vehicle safety tests. It is also a sign of things to come from all future models of Mahinda,” says Arvind Mathew, Chief of International Operations at Mahindra & Mahindra.

According to Rajesh Gupta, CEO of Mahindra South Africa, “A 5-star rating from the GNCAP is the best-possible confirmation that safety is integrated into the very design and structure of the Mahindra XUV300. 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.”

The Mahindra XUV300, with its many segment-leading safety features including 7 airbags, disc brakes on all 4 wheels, front parking sensors and heated outside rear-view mirrors (ORVMs) for improved visibility, offers fortress-like safety that is unmatched.

FORTRESS-LIKE SAFETY IN XUV300

The XUV300 offers some class leading and best-in-segment safety features*:

• Class leading 7 airbags, including knee airbag, dual-front, side and curtain airbags.
• First-in-class front parking sensors
• ISOFIX child seat mounts
• Disc brakes on all 4 wheels
• Heated ORVMs
• Electronic stability program with Dynamic Steering Torque, Hydraulic Brake Assist, Roll-over Mitigation and Traction Control, together with Hill Start Assist.
• ABS and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) standard across all variants
• Front and rear fog lamps
• Tyre-tronics (Tyre pressure and temperature monitoring system)
• Seat belt reminder for all seats
• 3-point seat belt on all seats (the Indian model has a lap belt in the rear-middle seat, while the South African model has three-point belts on all rear seats, which addresses the GNCAP note on four-star child protection).

* Specifications vary by model.

About GNCAP

The GNCAP is a charitable organisation based in Europe and it has been actively campaigning for safer vehicles in developing markets across the world.

About the XUV300

The XUV300 is a potent combination of dynamic design and breath-taking performance. Armed with free-flowing torque and nimble-footed manoeuvrability, the sheer joy of driving this SUV kicks in the moment you step on the accelerator pedal. All this and an arsenal of best-in-segment safety and technology features make it one of the most exciting SUVs you’ll find on African roads. The XUV300 shares its platform with the SsangYong Tivoli, which is a globally successful product that has sold over 260 000 units in 50+ countries since its launch in 2015.