[mallipeddi]

Is there a study that indicates if ABS and airbags actually improve safety significantly on Indian roads? They're probably going to be most helpful on some of the newer high-speed freeways. But this is a small i10 city car which you're probably going to end up driving 90% of the time in slow-moving Mumbai traffic.

Btw the salesman is not intentionally trying to be slimy. It's simply a disconnect in his way of thinking and yours. You must understand this guy probably takes the Mumbai metro to get to work every day and yes, the metro trains which have no doors, and those trains where people hang out of the doors clinging on to whatever they can find. So yeah, the salesman probably feels like anti-lock braking systems are not that important in the grand scheme of things in lieu of what happens around him everyday.

Btw go to America and suggest an i10 to someone. They'll laugh their ass off. To them anything that's not sturdy and large is not safe on their roads. At the end of the day, it's all just economics and what each society perceives is vital. Most Indians are first-time buyers for whom buying a car itself is an achievement. Things will change slowly as we become much more sophisticated buyers and income levels rise.