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-   -   Why do Indian car manufacturers skimp on airbags? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/29173-why-do-indian-car-manufacturers-skimp-airbags-3.html)

Maybe the rear-facing thing are for front child seats only?

I have no idea about US law, but it would make sense.

Hi,
Guys it is wrong to say that dealers earn more on non airbag versions. The presence of an airbag has nothing to do with their margins( i work for a car co so trust me). Also the main point of contention here is that most indian mfrs are working out of a CKD plant(GM, Toyota, Ford, Skoda etc..) Kits are procured from overseas and getting your product mix correct in this case is vital. hence no one really harps on about safety here. IF ther eis a sudden demand for an airbag version the mfrs will be left high and dry as the lead time in procuring kits is almost 3 months. I know this is no excuse and manufacturers in India have been largely ignoring safety. There have been cases where lauras have had airbag deployment just because a pothole was hit at 60 KMPH. Secondly the govt must stop taxing vital safety components. I dont think they will ever do that! if they still levy excise duty on an electric car(Reva) i wonder where safety is on their list of priorities. I am looking for a swift zxi in the 2nd hand market but guess what? There are hardly any around coz people dont buy it. And those that do have along wait as maruti produces more VXI's and LXI's!..Let us raise our voices and demand that our lives be valued more than this!

If and when the demand picks up, airbags can be manufactured locally.

Governments, world-wide, will levy taxes on the total sales price of the vehicle: airbags won't come tax-free any more than seat belts do.

Giving tax breaks for safety items is a nice idea --- but it would be pretty hard to calculate.