[VPJ74]

Is a car with 6 airbags and 3-Star rating and say an unstable shell (e.g. i20) more safe than a car with 4-Star safety but only 2 airbags (Jazz), in general?

What's considered more "safe" - A Safety rating or # of Airbags?

[ron178]

Originally Posted by VPJ74

What's considered more "safe" - A Safety rating or # of Airbags?

There was a discussion on this thread (Choose car with many safety features & lower safety rating or vice versa?).

[VPJ74]

I had a discussion with 2 dealers in MUMBAI on this, one from Hyundai and the other from Honda.

Both said that they feel that the 6 airbags regulation WILL come into effect from Oct 01, however they Govt will give existing models time till Dec22 - March 23 to clear stocks. They also said that the current prices will increase to reflect the change.

[84.monsoon]

After BS6, this is probably the most disruptive regulation for the auto industry. It is highly unlikely it will get implemented for the next few years.

Across our entire rural hinterland, one of the maIn modes of transport is comprised of UVs such as Bolero, Xylo, Bolero Neo etc. These vehicles are not designed to accommodate 6 airbags. Even the Tata Magic which is a hugely popular mode of transport in smaller towns does not have the ability to accommodate curtain airbags etc.

The change is much more then the cost of providing a couple of additional airbags as Mr. Ghadkari maies.out. Consider the fact that most of the small cars made by Maruti and Hyundai are not equipped with 6 air bags even in the top variants. The cars are incompatible as currently designed, to accommodate 6 airbags, especially the side curtain ones. Side curtain airbags require specific provisions to be made on the roof for sensors, the airbags themselves and the deployment space. If the current design of the roof does not provide the space for these, the roof would have to be completely re-designed, to do this. This word mean the full design the car may have to be re-visited as well, because weight of the roof would increase affecting the centre of gravity and changing the roll-over risk profile. The stability and safety of the roll cage may also get affected. Ground up re-design will be required for those models currently not designed to accommodate 6 airbags,, which takes years, as the new designs have to be tested and certified.

The rule may cause dozens of models to become extinct, mostly affecting Maruti Suzuki. The industry is just about recovering from the pandemic and BS6 blows and another massive blow like this would be impossible for the industry to swallow as significant volumes are still in the B segment, where the cars are incompatible.

On top of this, what happens to soft top and fibre top vehicles such as the Thar ? These obviously seat at least 4 passengers and applying consistent safety standards, should have curtain airbag protection for rear passengers? But such vehicles obviously cannot have roof mounted curtain airbags. So would M&M have to scrap the Thar ? The regulation is not even thought through fully and so I see no chance of implementation at least till 2025 as automakers would need time to re-design existing cars.

[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

The regulation is not even thought through fully and so I see no chance of implementation at least till 2025 as automakers would need time to re-design existing cars.

A much more realistic possibility is to require vehicles to have the same number of airbags across all trims. So if a top trim model has six airbags, so should the base variant. There's no need for buyers to be forced to purchase a panoramic sunroof or a 360 camera in order to get a safe car.

In this sense, the government is right. The additional cost of the airbag is tiny, yet manufacturers don't provide them.

[lordrayden]

Looks like the first hints of deferring the 6 airbag rule are coming in.

From the Indian Express on August 28th:
“A driver airbag has been compulsory for all passenger vehicles since July 1, 2019. The Centre's plan to mandate six airbags across all cars from October 1 is likely to be deferred amid discussions within the government on its fallout in the small-car market and a pushback from industry.”

The full article is behind a paywall though:
https://indianexpress.com/article/au...-8115957/lite/

[Arwin07]

Any updates on whether the 6 airbags rule will be implemented in October/November 2022?
My in laws are looking to buy Nexon/XUV 300 at 12 lakhs. To get 6 airbags (7 actually), they have to go much beyond their budget and get top variant of XUV300. They have postponed their purchase for this rule to be implemented.
Considering they will have the car for 8-10 years atleast, does it make sense to wait for 6 airbags rule given that they can wait for 6 months?

[bivision]

Originally Posted by Arwin07

Any updates on whether the 6 airbags rule will be implemented in October/November 2022?

Latest news on this indicates govt will finalize 6 airbag rule by end of current fiscal year, there is no mention of when it will be enforced. I guess the finalized rule will mention the time line as well, which will not be any time soon.

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/na...-safety-429466

[skarthiksr]

Originally Posted by Arwin07

To get 6 airbags (7 actually), they have to go much beyond their budget and get top variant of XUV300.

XUV300 offers only 6 airbags now. Knee airbags are no longer provided in any variant of XUV300.

[SteeringWheel]

As per the article in autocar, the 6 airbags rule may be deferred by atleast 18 months. As Oct 1st is nearing and there is no news of 6 airbags becoming standard, I thought there will be a 3 or 6 month delay in implementation. Now it's going to be delayed by 18 months and who knows it may be further delayed.

Source

[lordrayden]

Originally Posted by SteeringWheel

As per the article in autocar, the 6 airbags rule may be deferred by atleast 18 months. As Oct 1st is nearing and there is no news of 6 airbags becoming standard, I thought there will be a 3 or 6 month delay in implementation. Now it's going to be delayed by 18 months and who knows it may be further delayed.

Source

Good riddance. This is a not as good an idea as some think. And "delayed by 18-months" is bureaucratic speak for "not going to happen".

Instead of 6-airbags, the Govt should focus their efforts on getting Bharat-NCAP up and running, and make THAT mandatory for all cars. It will give the people the information they need to select safe cars, if they so choose. If for some reason people don't want to select a safe car, its their money, their choice. At least they would have made an INFORMED decision.

[RaghuVis]

Earlier Mr Gadkari used to make 5 sensible announcements and 1 erratic one. Now it has become the opposite and I think this one is the quota for this year as this seems to be the first sensible thing he has proposed in 2022.

[StigsIndianCuz]

Originally Posted by lordrayden

At least they would have made an INFORMED decision.

Bharat-NCAP implementation would need more planning and will face more backlash from companies, since it would require many to go back to the drawing board or their international parts bin for safer platforms. Maruti has already cried out on both Bharat-NCAP and the 6-airbags mandate, but which do we think it will implement sooner?

[bivision]

Another safety regulation is deferred by MoRTH -

EV battery safety norms execution extended to March 31, 2023 in 2 phases from Dec 2022

https://auto.economictimes.indiatime...5AZ21haWwuY29t

[Venkatesh]

6 airbags rule update, will be implemented from 1st October 2023.