[itisK]

Manufacturers don't care for anything other than profit margins.

Government interference is labelled being too intrusive.

Most customers don't care about these safety related aspects either.

Realistically, we are at the mercy of manufacturers now. And that means, the same state of affairs will continue for a long time.

[Joe367]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

He also said that the entire auto industry was on board on the safety feature, but for one player, stopping short of naming the company.

I wonder which company it is. They've become such a big monopoly where they can even influence govt decisions 🤔 I also don't think 6 airbags is necessary, but if the decision was overturned because of one company - that's concerning.

[antz.bin]

As disappointing as this decision may be, it is the right thing to do.

It gives the choice to choose safety in hands of the buyer. Basic safety (2 Airbags, ABS) is present on all cars by default. So it is not as if the buyer could buy a car without them.

Assuming best intent, there is probably significant cost to upgrading some of the budget cars from that one manufacturer to be equipped with 6 Airbags, so they are against it being made mandatory. But please remember that the primary target audience of those cars are people who are 1st generation car buyers getting their 1st car! I mean, which other manufacturer also runs driving schools?

If a car becomes 50k more expensive due to the additional costs of integrating 6 airbags, maybe the 1st car buyer will have to probably wait an additional 2-3 months while he/she saves enough money to get the car within the budget. These are 2-3 months this person and their family has to make do on a scooter when they could have been on a much safer mode of transportation (a car with 2 airbags).

We are a country where 91% households do not have a car. 45% of all road fatalities involve 2-wheeler riders in India. They need affordable cars to make the switch before they die in a 2-wheeler accident.

BNCAP will ensure that only the worthy ones with 6 Airbags are eligible for a 4/5 star rating.

With this kind of transparency, the buyer can make an informed decision based on their requirements. We can choose our 5 star cars because we can. But please let the Splendor/Activa-only family the privilege of safer travel as well. Let them choose the fuel efficient cars with lower safety ratings but at least they will be able to afford a car earlier.

In my own case, had I gone for the Titanium Blu variant (with 6 Airbags) of the Figo instead of my current Titanium (with 2 Airbags), it would have taken me at least 2 additional months to save the differential amount without it being a burden on my finances. 2 Months aren't too long isn't it? But then again, my first child was born 3 months after the car was delivered. 2 more months could very well have been 2 months too late. I had to have a car at that time in the interest of the safety of my wife and my unborn child because the only other vehicles I had access to was my Pulsar and Ola/Uber. And thank God I got my car when I did because the entire world was locked down a couple of months later.

BNCAP will make sure everyone falls in line and get their 6-Airbag cars out for sale as soon as possible or risk being ridiculed in their face by competitors. There will be a buffet of options for all of us to upgrade to. This will happen while the general populace will still have access to safer modes of transportation compared to a 2-wheeler i.e. the type of vehicle 90% of households have access to right now.

[audioholic]

I dont understand what the brickbats are all about, when the minister himself has justified why this decision. When BSNCAP kicks in the customers are anyway informed well about their purchase, and its their call to buy an unsafe car or not. If Maruti continues to manufacture unsafe cars, let them do so. They will get poor ratings and in spite of that if someone wants to buy its their call.

As long as the mindset of the people change in our country, everything else will. Just stuffing a poorly built car with six airbags isnt going to change anything. BSNCAP will ensure that even an Alto will get its safety ratings clear based on what Maruti has to offer as standard equipment and then its the consumers choice.

[AutoNoob]

Originally Posted by audioholic

When BSNCAP kicks in the customers are anyway informed well about their purchase, and its their call to buy an unsafe car or not. If Maruti continues to manufacture unsafe cars, let them do so. They will get poor ratings and in spite of that if someone wants to buy its their call.


BSNCAP will ensure that even an Alto will get its safety ratings clear based on what Maruti has to offer as standard equipment and then its the consumers choice.

The BNCAP testing is voluntary, so very rare chance that Maruti will offer the vehicles for official testing where they'll get 0, 1 or 2 ratings.

Further, as per Page 23 of the attached draft BNCAP notification [Vehicle Selection Guidelines]:

4.3.1.1 The model / variant within the scope of this standard, being a popular model offered voluntarily as per the definition of Popular Model

4.3.5 Manufacturers can only sponsor the assessment of vehicles manufactured and marketed by them including partner vehicles or corporate twins. Manufacturer cannot sponsor assessment for vehicles manufactured by other OEM’s.

So, I don't think any OEM can offer other OEM's vehicles for testing. So, most of the common folks will remain unaware about the safety level of such vehicles.

[sandeepmdas]

Originally Posted by Manoj2268

It is now upto the public to shun unsafe cars.

Originally Posted by AutoNoob

The BNCAP testing is voluntary, so very rare chance that Maruti will offer the vehicles for official testing where they'll get 0, 1 or 2 ratings.

It might seem almost unbelievable now, but back in the early 2000s, the union government was not very keen in implementing emission norms. It was the Supreme court that has asked the government to come up with a roadmap for the it, paving way for the Bharat Stage.

I sincerely hope the SC will do the same with safety and crash test norms too.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by AutoNoob

The BNCAP testing is voluntary, so very rare chance that Maruti will offer the vehicles for official testing where they'll get 0, 1 or 2 ratings.

Further, as per Page 23 of the attached draft BNCAP notification [Vehicle Selection Guidelines]:

So, I don't think any OEM can offer other OEM's vehicles for testing. So, most of the common folks will remain unaware about the safety level of such vehicles.

If manufacturers dont take part in BSNCAP, it is obvious that this will be a matter of concern for a buyer, and the average car buyer is becoming more and more conscious about safety. So if Maruti are not offering, they cant get away with falsely run campaigns like 'Dil se strong' and stuff while other competitors are publishing star ratings in ads.

[ishekk]

Adding airbags increases the costs and makes entry level cars unaffordable. Going by the safety logic, we should ban all the two wheelers as they are far more unsafe then any entry level car.

[StarrySky]

Originally Posted by audioholic

If manufacturers dont take part in BSNCAP, it is obvious that this will be a matter of concern for a buyer, and the average car buyer is becoming more and more conscious about safety. So if Maruti are not offering, they cant get away with falsely run campaigns like 'Dil se strong' and stuff while other competitors are publishing star ratings in ads.

I wouldn't be so optimistic. Maruti now have the opportunity to continue with their "We meet all mandatory safety requirements as per the regulation" stance.

Of course, GNCAP was easier to dismiss as "foreign conspiracy" or "agenda-driven". The only hope is that absence of their cars in BNCAP will not be so easy to explain away.

[ruzbehxyz]

I seriously wanted this rule and also to implement seat belts seriously. How ever this is called “No planning and No vision”. Saying something today and not implementing it tomorrow.

[SteeringWheel]

Some cars will sell irrespective of whether they have NCAP rating or not and thanks to this u turn, these cars will never get 6 airbags. Example, Mahindra Bolero.

We are planning to buy two cars in the family and I've been waiting for the rule to be implemented so that we can buy a Bolero/Scorpio and Scorpio N/Hycross base models. I always had doubt but wished the rule will get implemented. Last year it was delayed by an year, then this year the draft notification lapsed, now this u turn.

True that Bharat NCAP rating will require the manufacturers to include 6 airbags if they want to get good rating, but we have manufacturers who say "we meet all current regulations...". Now that 6 airbags are not mandatory, these manufacturers have no urge to include 6 airbags in their lower models.

[ron178]

Originally Posted by SteeringWheel

Some cars will sell irrespective of whether they have NCAP rating or not and thanks to this u turn, these cars will never get 6 airbags. Example, Mahindra Bolero.

Not having side airbags is among the least of the Bolero’s safety problems. The thing has side-facing seats and no seatbelts in the third row.

BNCAP does not penalise such vehicles (Global NCAP did, so I am confident they will rate one before their work in India ends).

[The Rationalist]

I think Gadkari should keep his mouth shut when it comes to matters which he can't enforce. Why make a fool of oneself? The government has made BNCAP voluntary and now with this U-turn, the dinosaur running Maruti can have the last laugh. I hope in another 20-30 years our country progress economically and Maruti end up with the same fate as Suzuki in developed countries.

[inwester]

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

He also said that the entire auto industry was on board on the safety feature, but for one player, stopping short of naming the company.

Any guesses on which car company would it be?

Why guess?

"The minister had earlier pushed for six airbags to become standard in an attempt to elevate vehicle safety, and in January 2022, had led the MoRTH to issue a draft notification as a proposal to mandate six airbags in all new cars. However, the move was met with strong opposition from the industry, particularly India's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India, which had cited affordability concerns for its entry-level models".

https://www.autocarindia.com/industr...-now%22-429304

A final parting thought, as BHPians, we don't make the rules, but we surely can vote with our feet on this matter.

63rd ACMA Annual Session
Q&A - Nitin Gadkari Airbag issue at around 14:50 min mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHgTv0f8hHA

[Cresterk]

So after every other manufacturer spent crores upon crores modifying their assembly lines, making tweaks to already existing older models to cram in side airbags and getting squeezed negotiating contracts with suppliers in order to comply to this deadline, they just backtrack on it?

How is anyone supposed to make any meaningful investments with all this uncertainty? "Yeah be ready to modify your carefully planned out strategy for your 1000 crore investments based on our whims of whether or not we may implement it on the deadline we set"

If the mandate is implemented on the deadline: "Oh we gave you over a year to implement it, what do you mean you haven't made the necessary changes yet"

If the mandate isn't implemented: "Oopsie, no harm no foul, right guys?"

There is no clear vision or future planning here. It's just throwing random rules at the wall and seeing which ones stick.

No wonder Ford packed up and left. Their analysts probably foresaw what was coming and decided it's not worth the headache when they can make money with lesser risk elsewhere.