Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said the Center has deferred the implementation of the proposal to make six airbags mandatory for passenger cars till October 1, 2023.
The domestic automotive industry called for a reconsideration of the rule, claiming that inflation and regulatory costs have made passenger vehicles—particularly small and entry-level cars—expensive.
However, the government has cited insufficient capacity on the part of suppliers to scale up manufacturing of airbags.
The extension in the timeline comes along expected lines, as the industry had been lobbying the government for a long time to get an extension.
“Keeping in view the global supply chain constraints being faced by the auto industry and its impact on the macroeconomic scenario, it has been decided to implement the proposal mandating minimum 6 airbags in passenger cars (M-1 category) with effect from 01 October 2023. has been taken.” Gadkari said in a Twitter post.
“The safety of all passengers traveling in motor vehicles, regardless of their cost and variants, is the most important priority,” he added.
Gadkari had recently remarked that while some producers had highlighted issues in implementing the proposal, most were willing to do so.
India’s largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki had said that the cost of installing additional airbags in entry-segment cars would put their prices beyond the reach of first-time buyers, especially in the shrinking small car market.
“Most of the automobile manufacturers in India export cars with six airbags. But in India, because of the economic model and cost, they are hesitating,” Gadkari said during an industry event in New Delhi recently.
He had said, ‘I tell my friends in the automobile sector that you should be quality-centric and not cost-centric, because people’s preferences are changing.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways recently released a draft amendment to the Automotive Industry Standards or AIS 156, a set of rules that includes safety regulations for the Indian auto sector, to make safety belt reminder mandatory for passengers in the back seat. To be.
Maruti Suzuki India Chairman RC Bhargava on Thursday said the government has recognized the genuine concerns of the automobile industry by deferring the implementation of the rule. Bhargava said, “The industry was demanding a moratorium because there was not enough time (to comply) and the market was down and it is great that the government has recognized the validity of what we were saying and they have supported the industry. Have supported a lot,” Bhargava said. ,
During a collision an airbag intervenes between the driver and the vehicle’s dashboard, preventing serious injuries. According to National Crime Records Bureau data, more than 155,000 people were killed in road accidents across India in 2021, which is the highest death toll recorded in any calendar year so far.
PTI contributed to this story.
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