The chances of cars sporting a mandatory six airbags by October 1 this year looks bleak, as carmakers await a final order from the Centre.
As per the draft notification issued in mid-January by the Nitin Gadkari-led Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), all M1 category vehicles (motor vehicle comprising not more than eight seats) manufactured should have at least six airbags fitted in defined areas.
This decision is one of the most defining regulatory changes after the jump to BS-VI (Bharat Stage VI) from BS-IV in 2020. The present regulations mandate carmakers to install two airbags (one for the driver and the other for the driver-side passengers) only.
Time for testing and validation
Carmakers believe that the January 2022 notification is unlikely to be implemented given the sheer volume that require reengineering to accommodate extra airbags. In addition, time is needed for the vehicle’s testing and validation. The more airbags would mean additional semiconductor requirements, as they are critical for their deployment.
CV Raman, Chief Technology Officer, Maruti Suzuki India said, “You should have a large base of manufacturing and localisation of airbags. This is followed by integration and engineering to accommodate them in the vehicles. And evaluation is the third important thing since we have a wide range of products and variants.”
Maruti Suzuki is India’s largest carmaker with 15 models having about 60 variants. Additional airbags will cost between ₹15,000-18,000, in addition to cost of reengineering like changes made to the seat’s design or to the headliner above the doors.
Rajesh Jejurikar, Executive Director, Mahindra & Mahindra, “There is no intent statement on this (from the government). We understand through the dialogues with SIAM that it is very unlikely that it will happen in October. Some of our models will get impacted. All our new generation models are equipped with six airbags. We have taken all the action to be ready but we don’t think the notification is going to come out with October 2022 as the date.”
SIAM in talk with MoRTH
The auto industry’s apex lobby body, the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) has been in dialogue with MoRTH for finding alternate ways to implement this as against implementing it in one go from October 1. However, Gadkari, who has been the biggest advocate of this movement, has not shown any inclination of making any changes to the deadline so far.
“There is a dialogue happening between SIAM and the Ministry. While intention is there, there is an understanding that all manufacturers in all their models, to be able to implement this by October, is not feasible and hence that conversation is still on to arrive at what we can do in a phased manner,” said another executive from M&M.
A senior executive from one of India’s biggest brands said that the government could lay down protocols for adoption of Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (BNCAP). The BNCAP will see star rating system used for defining the safety standards of a vehicle.
“The industry is asking for BNCAP and the government is now accepting and the protocol is being laid and in the next six months we should be able to have a protocol and it should be able to have a structure for that,” said the executive.