Car prices are set to rise next year with the government determined to ensure the ones being manufactured for Indian customers incorporate some salient features for passengers to survive a crash.
If the government manages to adhere to the timeline, cars may have to incorporate minimum crash safety standards by January by when at least one of the two planned crash test facilities will be up and running in India.
The government is into consultations with automakers, many of whom have claimed their cars are crash-worthy. But senior officials guiding the process are not convinced, especially with the argument that cars will become too costly.
“They can’t afford it? What kind of an argument is that? My mandate is road safety. We want Indians to survive. If they were serious about crash-worthiness about their cars, they could have gone to Malaysia and tested it,” said a senior official of the Ministry of Roads and National Highways.
The official pointed out that cars being made for exports pass the New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) norms whereas those for Indian customers do not have these features. “They should achieve star rating (one to five stars are awarded based on safety features in a car) for Indian customers as well. I don’t see why Indian customers should be short-changed,” he said.
Automakers complain that if they were to incorporate most of the safety features, car prices could rise by 15 per cent to 20 per cent for the base model with one or two star rating.
“We have had discussions with the government on the Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assessment program (BNVSA). Until now, the problem was the absence of a crash test facility. We expect one by the end of this year and another by early next year. Once this happens, some may go for BNVSA star rating on voluntary basis,” said K. K. Gandhi, Executive Director (Tech), Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).
The government wants to have one NCAP facility by January and also amend the Motor Vehicles Act to make it compulsory for car makers to incorporate air bags, crumple zones and electronic safety control.
“We welcome the decision to make crash tests mandatory. Our market should be on a par with global standards in every aspect, including safety. This would help us reduce fatalities on the roads which are a matter of concern to us,” said a Toyota spokesperson. Government officials believe Toyota’s Etios is the only mid-segment car in India to have passed the crash test.
Analyst Amit Kaushik of IHS Automotive was not optimistic about the January timeline. “It will be implemented in the medium-term rather than short-term. It makes sense to implement these norms..
G. Balachandar adds from Chennai
Japanese car maker Nissan said: “it is committed to vehicle safety and believed that consumers should have crash testing information about crash protection so they can make educated buying decisions. India is transforming as more and more consumers seek the automobile’s freedom of personal mobility affordably and sustainably.’’
“If the Indian Government puts in place regulations requiring it, or if Indian customers want it, Nissan has the technological capability to put any desired feature on the cars,” said a spokesperson of Nissan India.
