[coolclouds]

Interesting initiative by Govt - TOI 16 Apr

Mileage labels on cars soon

Nitin Sethi TNN

New Delhi: After more than four years of wrangling,the government has cleared fuel mileage standards and labeling for new cars.The norms will force automobile manufacturers to put governmentcertified fuel efficiency labels on each car they sell and improve efficiency of the cars they sell every year.
While the labels will become mandatory soon,the standards will kick in by 2015,giving manufacturers time to improve the technology under the bonnet.The labels will certify the fuel efficiency of the car model under standard conditions and where it stands in comparison with other cars.
At the moment,the top 10 manufacturers with combined sales of more than 96% have an average fuel efficiency of 16.42 km/litre.By 2015,this will be improved to 18.15 km per litre and by 2020,this will have to be ratcheted up to 20.79 km per litre on average.

Read more: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/redir...2F12680871.cms

[rohanjf]

I don't think manufacturers will like it. The government cannot ensure good quality fuel, forcing the manufacturers to not bring in their latest technologies. And then they force them to make their age-old engines more efficient. What sense does it make?

[sandeepmohan]

This is stupid. What is the government trying to achieve by doing this? Make more money is all I can think of.

For a start, take lessons on building roads and remove those useless speed breakers (specififc to the city I live in). This is enough for the mileage on all vehicles to improve.

Is there anyone who even looks at ARAI ratings? I did not when I went car shopping.

[humans]

Manufactures like it or not, this is a welcome move, as we know the current publicized fuel efficiencies are not at all achieved in real time day to day running of vehicle. This will force manufactures to give values which are really achievable in daily usage otherwise pay penalty.

[Marlon]

Interesting but practically may not be possible. There should be guideline on fuel consumption based on fuel type ,engine capacity , power and other factors.
How does the goverment expect the SUV category to give such high mileage.
Also expecting the mercs ,beamers and other high end cars to give such a high mileage will be impossible.

[kdadi]

A good twist to this will be to have a gradation of taxes with lower tax for the more efficient ones. That way both the consumer as well as the manufacturer can gain from advances in technology.

[vinod332002]

Too many things wrong with this move...
1. Does this mean the end of CBU imports? Surely supercars cant expect to give 15+ kmpl, neither will they have other cars in their fleet that cover up for the super cars. Bye bye Ferrari?
2. My personal view is that what should really matter is how much efficiency a buyer actually gets out his car, and with current condition of Indian roads, engine is just one of the factors. An important factor, but there are several others.
Our roads are pothole ridden, which means we have to crawl in lower gears, lowering our fuel efficiency. If its not the potholes, then its useless speed breakers nee axle breakers. And of course, there is the cop favorite - nakabandi (at least in Mumbai) The longest traffic jams i've been in have all had a nakabandi at the start of it. Wonder how many terrorists have been caught in a nakabandi? At least, i've not read of any such instance. How many cops have made a quick buck at a Nakabandi? lakhs of them.
3. I have an ANHC and it saddens me to hear the tyres squeal every time I just begin to push it. And why does it squeal? In pursuit of higher efficiency. Is this the direction that we want all manufacturers to go to? \
4. If the government is so concerned about consumption of fuel, why not electric cars getting massive subsidy? Why not take up electification of rail lines on a war footing? More aerodynamic trains than the ones now that look like a bread box? Why do you want to kill the motoring enthusiast

I'm all for giving a buyer a clear idea of how much efficiency to expect from a vehicle. Incentivize efficient cars, but dont punish those that arent. As GTO said, there is more to life than KMPL!

[anuragn]

Originally Posted by kdadi

A good twist to this will be to have a gradation of taxes with lower tax for the more efficient ones. That way both the consumer as well as the manufacturer can gain from advances in technology.

This is already in place, through higher tax rates on bigger cars & with bigger engines. Though not explicitly stated that higher taxes are because of less mileage.

The way the standards are defined,the companies would have to ensure they sell enough efficient cars to meet the corporate fleet average standard

It is mentioned (as quoted above) that they have to maintain a fleet average and not on individual models. The penalty would be applicable if there is a deviation from the "label". Which means it should not fall short of whatever is claimed in the label. And there is a mention of star rating, which means the minimum reqd mileage would not be a flat value across models & types.
So on the face of it, it does not seem to be that bad for the manufacturers.

[fine69]

Can this mean engines de-tuned even further than what they are now to up the mileage?

Considering the no. of cars that ply on roads today, increasing fuel efficiency even by a kilometer makes absolute sense when 99% of drivers aren't really motor enthusiasts.

I only wish that this is a sincere initiative by the govt. with enough research & foresight which can make a difference, instead of another money minting idea.

[wildon]

Of course manufacturers (SIAM) doesn't like this.

Earlier SIAM used to publish the FE Data figures to public, but the latest/updated data is no more available.

Along with this Fuel data stickers on each Cars , Govt. should take the initiative to compel the manufacturers to publish the Date/Month/Year of manufacture of each cars and this should make mandatory so that each and every customer who purchase the vehicle get benefited.

[coolclouds]

As per US Department of Energy, below is the current and new stickers:
Source: Learn More About the Fuel Economy Label for Gasoline Vehicles

Though the initiative is good, there should be more clarity on how Govt is going to implement it on different category vehicles.

[asdon]

Like it or not, this is a good move, auto industry should realize that fuel reserve is decreasing everyday, and more than 90% on the road care more about KMPL and why not? Those who make cars with less than 15KMPL, should worry. But Govt also should ensure to improve road quality, less speed breakers, unrealistic speed limits (50KMPH on a open 4 lane ring road), remember all cars will give optimum milage on the highest gear, while driven at a specified speed. But a nice start, just because someone has more money doesn't mean he should use a car which is unfriendly to nature.

[scuderiamania]

Originally Posted by kdadi

A good twist to this will be to have a gradation of taxes with lower tax for the more efficient ones. That way both the consumer as well as the manufacturer can gain from advances in technology.

Agreed completely!Like it or not, this is a good move. I for one am not seeing this in bad light. I also do not think manufacturers will try to use bygone technology and squeeze out mileage by making the tuning even leaner. I do believe this will lead to the small turbo charged engines to come into india. The 1.2 TSi's, the .8l multiair's. Also as mentioned by @Kdadi, taxation based on the efficiency will be a step in the right direction considering how tax is collected in the present day on rather unscientific bases [engine size and length of the car]. This model of average efficiency of all cars by a certain manufacturer being above a certain limit already exists in the UK I believe [or maybe they are considering implementing it as I had heard JC talk about it in 'the news section of TG]. All in all, a step in the right direction.

edit: forgot to mention, but this could lead to hybrid technology coming into the country in a proper manner.

[JishD]

Great job by the government - at least Hyundai's over-the-top claims of FE on i10 and i20 can now be challenged ! OTOH what happens to our 1.8 tsi's et al - we will now become a pure commuter based economy.

Probably there will be a fuel tax introduced to compensate losses for these cars - this can be paid upfront as part of OTR price.

[SedatedDrive]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

This is stupid. What is the government trying to achieve by doing this? Make more money is all I can think of.

For a start, take lessons on building roads and remove those useless speed breakers (specififc to the city I live in). This is enough for the mileage on all vehicles to improve.

Is there anyone who even looks at ARAI ratings? I did not when I went car shopping.

I don't think the Government of India can be blamed for 'speed breakers' in Bangalore that were laid by the State Government of Karnataka.

ARAI rating was a key factor when I chose to buy my car. If these labels help in forcing manufacturers to invest in efficient engine technology, well and good.