[Venkatesh]

Importance of the basic practice of wearing the seatbelt.

"We welcome the Indian governments proposal to require six airbags in new cars, but remind consumers that a five star car with six airbags won’t offer much protection if you don't wear your seatbelt."

Link

[sbm]

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com...le65249779.ece
Six airbags are now mandatory for all cars sold in India? As expected MS is not happy with this decision saying that car sales will go down but on the other hand, there is news that KIA is planning to introduce standard 6 airbags in all its cars. I don't know the difference but earlier it was draft notification and now this news. Is it the law now or are there more steps before it becomes manadatory?

[volkman10]

SIX airbags mandatory in cars from October 1

Cars will mandatorily be equipped with 6 airbags from October 1
Additional airbags expected to increase costs by at least Rs 50,000
Current models and variants offering 6 airbags cost upward of Rs 10 lakh

Link:

[raksrules]

Originally Posted by volkman10

SIX airbags mandatory in cars from October 1



Link:

I have a feeling this timeline will be pushed as manufacturers will start crying once the deadline nears. I for one am ok paying 50K more if I get a 6 air bag car but hoping this means they don't skimp on other creature comforts. I am a strict seat belt adhering person and force my family to do so.

But if this gets implemented, it will be great decision and very welcome one.

[ron178]

Originally Posted by raksrules

I have a feeling this timeline will be pushed as manufacturers will start crying once the deadline nears.

Unlikely. Since the 2017/19 crash test standards and even the frontal airbag mandates, the government has resisted lobbying from the industry a lot better than elsewhere in the world. And that is a very good thing when Maruti Suzuki is involved. While I maintain the government should realise that some statements that might seem to oppose vehicle safety on the surface are out of genuine concern and not just industry lobbying, the latter is also very common in India with SIAM. It's a characteristic of manufacturer associations across the world, not just SIAM: lobby for the dilution of safety standards until they're really weak, and then when independent organisations like NCAPs try to show consumers the results of higher standards, throw sand in consumers' faces by reassuring them that they're meeting those earlier standards. In India the government is somewhat attempting to stop the dilution in the first place.

The six airbag mandate might (IMO) be a little extreme, it's been very hastily implemented and lacks any form of research - the sample space appears to be one single crash, and alternative solutions don't seem to have been considered, but I still don't think it will be delayed regardless of how much SIAM might kick and cry. This is likely to greatly benefit a consumer buying anything except an entry-level car (buyers of those will suffer the most because of the significant price increase). I would expect growth of the used car market.

[The Rationalist]

EXtremely good move, now Tata would be forced to give 6 airbags in Altroz. Have been struggling to find an affordable automatic car with 6 airbags. Gadkari sure is a man of his words. Hope he would be able to implement Bharat crash testing in the coming years.

[Vid6639]

This is only for 8 seater so 2 things will happen.

Cars that are currently listed as 8 seater will be modified to have 6 airbags but the more likely quick fix will be that existing cars that are listed as 8 seater will now be portrayed as 7 seater.

So instead of 2+3+3, the cars will be 2+3+2 which don't need the 6 airbags.

[veedub89]

Could this mean the death of a lot of small cars?
I don't think some of the cars on the older platforms will be able to shoehorn 6 airbags.

Maruti seems to be in the worst position.
Likewise for certain smaller Hyundais.

I really hope the government sticks to its guns and does not offer any rollbacks to the manufacturers. We don't want to have another repeat of the BS4-to-BS6 fiasco.

[pnredkar]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

This is only for 8 seater so 2 things will happen.

Cars that are currently listed as 8 seater will be modified to have 6 airbags but the more likely quick fix will be that existing cars that are listed as 8 seater will now be portrayed as 7 seater.

So instead of 2+3+3, the cars will be 2+3+2 which don't need the 6 airbags.

The news says: As per the notification, six airbags will be mandatory for the M1 category of vehicles that can carry up to 8 people.

My interpretation is that 7 seaters (for that matter, even 4 seaters) will require 6 airbags.

[The Rationalist]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

This is only for 8 seater so 2 things will happen.

Wrong!
From the gazette “ (9B) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub rule (9) and (9A), for the purpose of this rule following definitions and provisos shall apply:
Vehicles of category M1, manufactured after 01st October 2022, shall be fitted with two side/side torso air bags, one each for the persons occupying front row outboard seating positions and two side curtain/tube air bags, one each for the persons occupying outboard seating positions and the requirement for such airbags shall be verified with compliance to AIS-099, as amended from time to time, till the corresponding Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) specifications are notified under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016 (11 of 2016).

In India passenger Motor vehicles with at least 4 wheels are classified into 3 , M1, M2 & M3, while M2 & M3 have M2G & M3G subclass. M1 includes all cars upto all vehicles having upto 8 seats. So all cars from the Alto upto those having less than 9 seats have to have 6 airbags.

[Vid6639]

Ah ok. I thought M1 was 8 seater. The wordings are quite vague.

Also october is damn close for cars like Alto and Kwid to get 6 airbags.

[Livnletcarsliv]

Maruti will take the worst beating if this law becomes mandatory from Oct 1st. Since more than 70% of its sales come from less than 10L models.
All the other brands including Hyundai have enough cushion to adhere to these standards and modify/replace their models accordingly in this segment.

Wait and watch the situation.

[ron178]

Originally Posted by veedub89

Could this mean the death of a lot of small cars?

Maybe they'll continue, but if prices go up so much I think more customers might see value in spending extra on a Celerio/Tiago etc. instead of the Alto/Kwid because the ratio of price. The only consumers who will lose from this are probably the segment of buyers for whom the absolute purchase price still matters more than value. That segment has already been on the decline with slightly larger cars like the Wagon R outselling the Alto recently. On the OEMs' side I think it could be the death of the A1 segment because the little profit they could make off those cars would probably further reduce.

I would really have preferred a tax incentive for side impact head protection proven by a meaningful test. It worked for the sub-4m rule and I don't see why it wouldn't now. Those who still had to keep prices at the minimum to let two-wheeler owners upgrade could still continue to do it so poor consumers wouldn't get subpar safety (which, ironically, is the intention of the mandate) but above that OEMs would probably find it more economical to make six airbags a standard fitment. In a few years prices would come down enough to probably enforce a mandate.

Originally Posted by veedub89

Likewise for certain smaller Hyundais.

There were rumours of the Santro being discontinued soon anyway, and the i10 gets them internationally:

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Also october is damn close for cars like Alto and Kwid to get 6 airbags.

The Brazilian Kwid (assembled from kits from India) has had side chest airbags (total 4 airbags) since 2017...


...and the new Dacia Spring gets the full deal with head curtains:


It also turned in a respectable performance (no red or brown) in Euro NCAP's AEMDB side impact and oblique pole test.

Of course, until I see a test (thankfully Global NCAP will do Latin NCAP side and pole impacts from July) I'll never trust Renault to not cheap out on airbags again. Not just the Indian Duster, this is what Latin NCAP found when they audited a Sandero made in Mercosur instead of Colombia (image credit Latin NCAP press release):

There are shape and volume differences in the side head thorax airbags in the units produced in Colombia vs the Mercosur produced versions. Following Latin NCAP experience the airbag of the Colombian version (22 litres volume and larger coverage area) offers a more robust protection in comparison with the versions produced in Mercosur (18 litres volume and a more restricted coverage area).

The Colombian one, identical to the European one, helped the Sandero achieved three stars. With the 'jugaad' one it had a red chest in the side impact and hence one star.

That's exactly the problem with mandating the technology instead of performance requirements. On paper both of those cars had side body-head airbags. In practice both meant very different things.

The Japanese 2022 Alto (unfortunately I don't think it's related to the upcoming Indian one) gets six airbags (image from volkman10).

[reinhardt93]

While I applaud this rule, what I don't seem to understand is why cant they make traffic rule adherence more important. Why is there still a brokerage system in order to get a license at the RTOs, etc, etc.

I really hope they start implementing things from the ground up soon.

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by reinhardt93

While I applaud this rule, what I don't seem to understand is why cant they make traffic rule adherence more important. Why is there still a brokerage system in order to get a license at the RTOs, etc, etc.

I really hope they start implementing things from the ground up soon.

Mandating airbags is simple. Manufacturer has to do all the legwork, consumers will pay for the increased cost.

Fixing licensing is not simple. The Govt machinery will need to move and do the legwork.