Renault Triber scores 4 stars for safety in global NCAP crash tests

French carmaker Renault's new seven-seater people mover Triber has scored 4 stars for adult occupant safety and three stars for child occupant safety in Global NCAP's latest round of crash tests in India. The car was tested in its most basic safety specification, with two airbags and GNCAP said it showed significant improvements from previous Renault models tested by it.

"Renault has significantly improved adult occupant protection performance in frontal crashes compared with our 2016 tests on the Kwid," said Alejandro Furas, Secretary-General of Global NCAP. "The Triber sets a strong baseline for the manufacturer, and we encourage Renault to maintain this important progress as a minimum with the goal of achieving 5-star levels of safety."

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The results of the test showed the protection offered to the adult occupant driver and passenger head and neck was good. Driver's chest showed marginal protection and passenger's chest showed adequate protection, while driver knees showed marginal protection and could be impacted with dangerous structures behind the dashboard. Passenger's knees showed good protection and driver and passenger tibias showed adequate protection.

The bodyshell of the car was, however, rated as unstable and it is not capable of withstanding further loadings. The car offers standard seat belt reminders (SBR) for driver and passenger.

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"It is satisfying to note Renault's safety improvements with Global NCAP's Triber crash test result," said David Ward, President of the Towards Zero Foundation. "We would encourage them to continue this progress, and to set a five star or Safer Choice rating as their future target for the Indian market."

The child seat for the 3-year-old was installed forward-facing with adult seat belts and was not able to prevent excessive forward movement during the impact. Chest protection was average and the head protection was low as it was exposed during the crash. The 18-month-old child restraint was installed with an adult seat belt rearward-facing offering full protection to the child occupant. CRS marking was permanent. The recommended CRS did not show incompatibility. The vehicle offers a lap belt in the rear centre position. The car does not offer ISOFIX anchorages.

"Safety is of paramount importance for Renault and our products meet and exceed the requisite safety standards set by Indian Regulatory Authorities. An outcome of a joint project between Renault teams in India and France, Renault TRIBER has already established itself as a successful product and has seen tremendous acceptance amongst a wide set of car buyers," said Venkatram Mamillapalle, Country CEO and Managing Director, Renault India Operations.

"This is a proud moment for Renault in India, as TRIBER was conceived, developed and produced in India, for Indian customers first, before we took it to the world. The 4-star adult safety rating by Global NCAP for TRIBER reiterates our commitment towards safety," added Mamillapalle.

Global NCAP awards a separate child safety rating to each car in order to highlight the different levels of protection vehicles provide to passengers on the rear seats. Global NCAP tests a combination of the car and child seat recommended by the car manufacturer. Because the only safe way for young children to travel is properly restrained in a child seat, the assessment checks how compatible the car is with the child seats recommended by the manufacturer, as well as the protection provided in the crash test.

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