KOCHI: Even though the central government has mandated a slew of safety equipment as standard in new passenger vehicles from April 1, the confusion regarding whether older models manufactured before the slated date could be registered in the state was cleared by Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) officials on Friday.
Speaking to Express, Joint Transport Commissioner Rajeev Puthalath said MVD will continue to register models manufactured before March 31 without the required safety equipment. “Any vehicle rolling out of the factory floor after April 1 will be required to follow the central government orders mandating the list of standard equipment,” he said. He added the government has not set a deadline for manufacturers to clear older stocks and MVD will continue to register these models till further notice.
Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) spokesperson said two-wheelers under the engine capacity of 125cc will require combi-braking technology and Anti-Lock Braking (ABS) as it is the norm now. “Under the Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assesment Program (BNVSAP), all passenger cars will be equipped with dual airbags, ABS, seatbelt reminders for front seat occupants and speed alerts and pedestrian protection architecture as a standard feature for vehicles produced from April 1,” he said.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had also indicated that advanced safety equipment like Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Autonomous Emergency Braking will be incorporated in new vehicles by 2023, in its efforts of making the Indian automobile market one of the toughest with regard to safety and emission norms.
The stringent safety norms are likely to force about 14 models from popular automakers to go off production primarily owing to their age-old architecture, cost of re-engineering and insufficient demand. The variants are Maruti Suzuki Gypsy & Omni, Tata Nano, Sumo Gold and Safari, Fiat Punto, Avventura & Linea, Mahindra NuvoSport, Verito, e2O, eVerito & Xylo, Hyundai Eon and Honda Brio. Maruti Suzuki has already announced to have suspended the assembly of both Gypsy and Omni after three decades of being in production.