Tata Punch gets 5-star adult safety rating in global NCAP crash test

Tata Motors on Thursday said its upcoming sub-compact SUV Punch has received 5-star adult safety rating for adult occupant protection in a crash test from Global NCAP, an internationally renowned vehicle safety accreditation group.

The auto major said Punch, which is slated to be launched on October 18, also achieved a 4-star rating for child occupant safety.

Five stars indicates the highest score while zero star rating points to the minimum score during the vehicle crash test.

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The Punch is the third car from Tata Motors to receive top crash test rating after Altroz in January 2020 and Nexon in December 2018. It received 16.45 points for adult occupant protection, taking it above the leader till now Mahindra XUV 300 which had scored 16.42 score in adult occupant protection.

Designed across its studios in India, the UK, and Italy, the Punch has been developed to herald an entirely new category - the sub-compact SUV, to address a growing customer need for a small in size but big on space, safety, performance and features.

"SUVs are the ideal solution for Indian customers as they offer a perfect balance of performance, comfort and durability suited for Indian roads. When we were developing the Punch, we were very clear that despite its compact size, we wanted to offer customers a holistic package," Tata Motors President Passenger Vehicles Business Shailesh Chandra said in a statement.

The automaker is proud to have delivered yet another product that will be regarded as the safest passenger vehicle on Indian roads, he added.

"This landmark achievement by Tata Motors is also a testament of the fact that the automotive industry in India is capable of delivering the highest global standards of safety in vehicles," Chandra stated.

Tata Motors President and Chief Technology Officer Rajendra Petkar noted that the achievement is in line with the company's philosophy that vehicle safety should be made accessible to all.

"Getting the GNCAP 5-star for vehicle program comes as an outcome of the relentless hard work put in by cross-functional teams across the organisation, including our supplier partners," he added.

Built on the proven and modern Agile Light Flexible Advanced (ALFA) Architecture, Punch would sit below Nexon in the company's product line up. It comes with a 1.2 litre petrol engine mated to both manual and automatic transmissions.

The model comes with SUV attributes like tall seating, high ground clearance, 370 mm water wading capability and traction feature to aid recovery in off road situations.