[TusharK]

Global NCAP has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Central Institute for Road Transport (CIRT) to provide technical support to Bharat NCAP.



The government recently announced Bharat NCAP – India's own new car assessment program, which will be rolled out on October 1, 2023. With this, Global NCAP has announced that it would be ending its 'Safer Cars for India' campaign by the end of this year.

Global NCAP Executive President David Ward said, "We absolutely don’t want to be seen as a rival program to Bharat NCAP at all. It'd be very confusing to the consumer, and it doesn't serve anybody's interests."

Instead, Global NCAP would share its experience of testing vehicles over the last 10 years with Bharat NCAP. It would share the various SoPs related to the process of selecting vehicles and having the tests inspected and the best practices to engage with the media, along with guidelines for the usage of test results by manufacturers in advertisements.

Ward was involved in setting up Euro NCAP nearly 30 years ago. "What's interesting is that the process in Europe was longer, and in some ways more difficult in terms of negotiating with manufacturers and so on than it has been in India," he said. " India, over the last 10 years has been the fastest improving country in the G20," Ward added.

Over the last 10 years, Global NCAP has conducted 62 crash tests under its 'Safer Cars for India' program. It has tested over 50 models so far.

Source: ET Auto

Link to Team-BHP news

[ron178]

Originally Posted by TusharK

Global NCAP Executive President David Ward said, "We absolutely don’t want to be seen as a rival program to Bharat NCAP at all. It'd be very confusing to the consumer, and it doesn't serve anybody's interests."

He also said there are 10 more models in the pipeline before the project ends in December.

Originally Posted by ToThePoint

We cannot really nitpick about the pipeline. Could be cars they have already procured and awaiting testing.

Yes that is what 'in the pipeline' means AFAIK. Not nitpicking, just adding because it is there in the source article. I am quite glad about it because the more 'new' GNCAP results we see, the easier it will be to spot differences in results of the two programmes. Especially if in these last 10 cars they include a wider array of brands and not just Maruti who dig their own grave by not cooperating with GNCAP (they might do so with BNCAP so don't be surprised with +1/2 stars).

[ToThePoint]

Originally Posted by ron178

He also said there are 10 more models in the pipeline before the project ends in December.

We cannot really nitpick about the pipeline. Could be cars they have already procured and awaiting testing.

GNCAP ending it's stint was obvious. They have done their job and created the necessary awareness. It's upto BNCAP to take it forward.

[r2212xx]

As long as Bharat NCAP functions with the same nuances as GNCAP, it will be a win-win for all - Consumers (No confusion due to multiple NCAP ratings), Government (Manufacturers will have to go to them by default), and Manufacturers (Cheaper than sending cars to GNCAP).

Hope, though, that Bharat NCAP is kept independent of any political shackles, always staying independent and neutral in its essence.

[Bhodrolok]

Makes sense. I really hope BNCAP is more effective than GNCAP, they were knee capped from day 1 by our "leading manufacturers". I am banking on the likes of Tata and M&M to push others by a sustained marketing push.

[kosjam]

Originally Posted by r2212xx

As long as Bharat NCAP functions with the same nuances as GNCAP, it will be a win-win for all - Consumers (No confusion due to multiple NCAP ratings), Government (Manufacturers will have to go to them by default), and Manufacturers (Cheaper than sending cars to GNCAP).

Hope, though, that Bharat NCAP is kept independent of any political shackles, always staying independent and neutral in its essence.

Going by how the BEE energy ratings on consumer electronics is a moderate success (People do check those before buying electronics) it is hoped that the BNCAP ratings should see an equally positive reception by the general public.

Having said that, we are but a very small community here on this forum, and the general public does not put this high an emphasis on safety ratings on average, especially in comparision to the members of this community or its readers.

[A M]

Running both programmes in parallel for a while would've helped establish a benchmark for Bharat NCAP. But now it is on Bharat NCAP to be as transparent as they can be with the processes they are following to establish credibility.

[buzzy_boy]

Despite criticisms, I never knew anything about crash worthiness of vehicles before the advent of GNCAP. They've played a pivotal role in educating the masses about vehicle safety. I'll always respect them for that.

[Hayek]

Quite sad that GNCAP for Indian cars has ended. Suspect there may have been some pressure on the sponsors of GNCAP like Tata to support the new “Bharatiya” alternative. Really worry that BNCAP will turn out to be an eyewash aimed at letting Maruti and Hyundai sell unsafe cars and also reducing the pressure on Tata and Mahindra to keep upping their standards. Sadly, we may not even know that is the case.

[abhisekbit]

Quick Question -- Does this mean as part of BNCAP, all manufacturers are mandated to do a Crash Safety test before launching the car or will be still be voluntary?

[AkhilR]

Originally Posted by abhisekbit

Quick Question -- Does this mean as part of BNCAP, all manufacturers are mandated to do a Crash Safety test before launching the car or will be still be voluntary?

It will be voluntary

[Bhodrolok]

Originally Posted by kosjam

Having said that, we are but a very small community here on this forum, and the general public does not put this high an emphasis on safety ratings on average, especially in comparision to the members of this community or its readers.

I agree and hence it's for manufacturers like Mahindra, Tata & VW/Skoda to market the safety of their cars and use suitable visuals to make clear the outcome of crashes in "unsafe" cars. Although there have been some talk of safety in the last 2-3 years, the messaging is just not hard enough. We need some strong visual cues and consistent messaging to move the likes of Maruti & Hyundai.

[noo.b]

I am just worried how neutral and free from external pressure would Bharat NCAP be. Given how things work in our country I am really hoping its not just an eyewash.

[SR7]

Originally Posted by r2212xx

As long as Bharat NCAP functions with the same nuances as GNCAP, it will be a win-win for all - Consumers (No confusion due to multiple NCAP ratings), Government (Manufacturers will have to go to them by default), and Manufacturers (Cheaper than sending cars to GNCAP).

Hope, though, that Bharat NCAP is kept independent of any political shackles, always staying independent and neutral in its essence.

Yes. If Maruti manages to score a 5* then I’d be quite suspicious if the program was rigged / influenced like our agencies

[PG03]

Originally Posted by noo.b

Given how things work in our country I am really hoping its not just an eyewash.

The GNCAP results for some of the leading brands in our country have already given us a baseline, so if the same manufacturers suddenly have all their models marked as 3+ starts in BNCAP, we'll know what's going on.

For the BNCAP to be a success, it should be made mandatory for all new vehicles that are launched in the market going forward.