7 hours ago
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Following poor crash test results and subsequent low ratings from ANCAP, Suzuki Australia still believes its products meet the expectations of buyers.
Despite the Suzuki Swift initially receiving a one-star safety rating in 2025 from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) and the Fronx following soon after, Michael Pachota, Suzuki Australia General Manager, believes that the products meet the expectations of its buyers.
“We produce a very good value proposition for the Australian market with both Swift and Fronx when it comes back. I would suggest that we meet the expectations of the buyers that want one of those products,” Pachota told Drive.
This follows the Suzuki Fronx scoring a one-star ANCAP rating after a total failure of the rear seatbelt, prompting a stop sale of its latest all-new model and a recall.
Similarly, the Suzuki Swift also received a one-star rating when it was tested in mid-2025, not due to a failure but scoring just 47 per cent on the adult occupancy test.
The safety systems were revised for the Swift, where it returned a three-star rating when tested again, and the same is believed to be on the cards for the Fronx once the rear-seatbelt issue is revised and the stop-sell is lifted.
However, when questioned if ANCAP is now too strict or Suzuki products are not keeping up with the safety status quo, Pachota said that the benchmark is ever-changing.
“The criteria changes year to year. With that said, when Suzuki plans the design and production of vehicles, they look at all the markets that it can be available for, and the requirement is to build a safe car that's good value for money, affordable, and fun to drive.”
All those requirements, even from a local authority perspective in terms of what's allowed on Australian roads, are all met.”
“Different bodies have different evaluations or assessment criteria in different countries, where vehicles can perform or score differently based on their criteria.”
While there is no minimum ANCAP score for a car to be eligible for sale in Australia, Australian Design Rule (ADR) requirements are tightening.
These stringent safety regulations seem to be hurting the costs of lower-priced vehicles, with the three-door Jimny being the most recent example, sporting a $2000 to $3000 increase over the 2025 model.
While the small four-wheel drive saw minor updates, such as bigger screens and more digital functions, the brunt of the revisions came from updating the autonomous emergency braking (AEB) to fall in line with ADR 98/00.
Zane Dobie comes from a background of motorcycle journalism, working for notable titles such as Australian Motorcycle News Magazine, Just Bikes and BikeReview. Despite his fresh age, Zane brings a lifetime of racing and hands-on experience. His passion now resides on four wheels as an avid car collector, restorer, drift car pilot and weekend go-kart racer.
