Small Cars Alto, Swift, Eon, Jazz Banned in Assam

[vm2011]

The sale and registration of models such as Maruti Suzuki’s Alto and Swift, Hyundai i10 and EON and Honda Jazz have been stopped in Assam.

A court has banned the launch and sale of small cars that don't meet crash-test norms in the state in response to petitions that sought to make vehicles safer.

The sale and registration of popular models such as Maruti Suzuki's Alto and Swift, Hyundai Motor Company's i10 and EON and Honda Motor Company's Jazz have been stopped in Assam after the interim order by the Gauhati High Court.

The petitioners said crash tests such as the Global New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP), which are followed in Europe and developed markets, should apply to cars sold in Assam because higher safety standards are required in mountainous regions.

Addressing the concerns raised, the high court on June 26 barred all manufacturers from selling cars that did not meet crash-test norms, affecting about 140 models.

In response, transport authorities have asked dealers to stop selling cars that don't meet crash-test norms, leading to an almost blanket ban on the sale and registration of new vehicles in Assam.

The automotive industry is flabbergasted by the matter and companies are putting up their cases individually and through its apex body, SIAM. Major car companies including market leader Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Honda and Toyota confirmed they are facing issues in the market after the court order.

Industry veterans say their cars meet frontal crash test norms, known locally as steering impact test, and that the stricter frontal offset crash tests would apply only from 2017, when facilities to conduct them are expected to be ready in India

http://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/passenger-vehicle/cars/small-cars-like-alto-swift-eon-jazz-fail-to-pass-crash-test-assam-bans-their-launch-sales/48550751

 

[Its_Me]

Wish the supreme court ban the same pan India.

 

[allhyundaicars]

That indeed is good. 1 state took the first step and the others will follow soon i think the main cause of worry is not just the frontal impact but car roll over as well.

 

[mayankdixit]

Its a welcome move and I wish the ban spreads all over the country just like Maggi fiasco.

 

[rselva]

Indian government states that car manufacturers should pass the steering impact test (which is a less stringent version of frontal impact test). If there is no law for passing frontal impact test, how can the court stop the sale of cars which have passed all tests mandated by the Government ? I am sure SC will lift the ban. Also there is no logic in saying SUVs are safe (even if they failed NCAP) since they are bigger and have enough capacity to absorb impact !

 

[jithinmjose]

I would say this is the best thing judiciary has done for Indian automobile customers. But we all know what's gonna happen. Supreme court will put a stay on this order as Indian manufacturers lobby is strong enough than this.

But what I want to say is, this is the best time for a manufacturer to introduce a small car and if proved to be crash worthy, it will sell like hot cakes. I this Renault kwid has the best opportunity here. Renault put all safety and launch it now. U won't get a better time than this to dump Maruti alto,wagon r etc..

 

[rselva]

I would say this is the best thing judiciary has done for Indian automobile customers. But we all know what's gonna happen. Supreme court will put a stay on this order as Indian manufacturers lobby is strong enough than this.

Not because the of lobby but because it is unfair. First stipulate higher standards then ban the cars if they don't pass the standards. Moreover, why are only small cars targeted? Why is the ban not extended to all types which fail NCAP ? It is not clear whether a 1 star NCAP rating will suffice. What star should a car pass ? The judge is totally unclear and seems to have passed the order in a hurry. Many manufacturers offer optional safety features in the 'O' (optional) trim. What about those trims ? It is a half baked order which is not even worthy of municipality court.

 

[vm2011]

Here is the notification of the entire story,

View attachment Notification-26-06-2015.pdf

 

[rselva]

Ridiculous ! How can you put a quadricycle in M1 category ? Are they supposed to pass NCAP?! As per point 14, the Central Govt has only given a standing order for safety rules so what standards - other the steering wheel collision standard - are manufacturers supposed to follow ? Why is the order projecting Quadricycle weakness to M1 category ? Quadricycle has a maximum permissible kerb weight of 550 Kg and propulsion of 15 kilowatt. Why is a court stretching the non-testing of Quadricycle all the way up to 1,500 kg? Again why are all types of vehicles failing NCAP not considered ?

 

[incarnation]

will the central government act on this is something of an interest now. if this happens believe me the automotive sector in india will have a turning point, which would be beneficial to the end user ( we customers). im awaiting the central government reaction to this. keeping my fingers crossed, at least once let our government react in a positive way so that we have a secure automotive future.

 

[allhyundaicars]

will the central government act on this is something of an interest now. if this happens believe me the automotive sector in india will have a turning point, which would be beneficial to the end user ( we customers). im awaiting the central government reaction to this. keeping my fingers crossed, at least once let our government react in a positive way so that we have a secure automotive future.

They won't let it pass. Or else the government wouldn't have watered down the standards even before launching them. ( i read that they removed some tests and decreased the speeds on which the tests had to be conducted)

Anyways , even if it dents the car sales for 10 days it is sufficient for other people to know about why safety is important and not just money.

With the recent launches of s cross and creta , both overpriced, i hope both of these cars have good structural integrity to justify the price of both of the cars.

 

[nishant5858]

So, according to the report no car under 1500 kg are allowed for sale. So what about some cars which have 5 Star NCAP rating but weigh under 1.5 tonne like Jetta, Octavia are these to unsafe ?

 

[NH08]

This seems to be a decision which many have appreciated but it is not a good thing to let courts decide policy matters. Tomorrow, the courts may ban cars not having higher emission standards applicable in Europe or it may ban cars not having air bags. The problem is that if you want to change a policy, tell the manufacturers that it will be applicable from a prospective date so that they may re-align their manufacturing process accordingly. A policy should not be changed overnight just because some judge wants it so. It should be decided by the government after discussing with every body interested in the outcome of that policy.

Now, thousands of cars lying with dealers in Assam are stuck. These will have to be transferred to other states. The loss in this process will have to be borne by..... whom? Auto Companies? No, you and me, the customer. Every such loss will be transferred to us in the shape of higher prices.

Courts have hundreds of thousands cases lingering for years. Why not take some action in that field.

My opinion will not be liked by many but populist decisions/policies do not serve the purpose.

Off-Topic: Just yesterday, a court in UP ordered that children of all the govt officers will have to study in govt schools instead of Convent/Public schools. Reason - situation in govt school will be improved only this way. Order sustainable? Order worth clapping? Definitely yes. The judge got his name in newspapers, the poor fellow who filed the PIL got dismissed from the job. He was a teacher in UP Govt school.

 

[Vishwas]

IMHO this shouldn't be the right move from SC and my view goes like this:

* At the end of the day No airbags nor ABS saves life, it's upon the individuals own sense of being alert in tackling things, And we read many cases where Airbags fail to deploy and company also claiming to hit the car where airbag is designed to open the way it wants.

* Safety should be provided in the form of educating it's owners about the know hows
and car's limitations.

* Instead of passing a law for banning small vehicles on direct buyers, should make the government itself to lay good infrastructure and make cops swing into action actively.


See it isn't good that we easily say to put ABS and Airbags standard as there are several families who still has dream of buying a "Car" which is a big thing in life.

 

[acechip]

while the HC order is in good spirit, it is completely arbitrary in terms of its implementation guideline.
Which safety norm should be followed ? What is this 1500kg threshold ? A Bolero or a Mahindra Commander stashed with 15 people is more dangerous to drive than a Honda Jazz any day. Courts should take a more whollistic view of road safety, instead of picking easy targets. That said, this activism should spur the central government to immediately kickstart the NCAP assessment tests. This will get the lazy manufacturers to amend their production process. And while we are on it, what about existing cars ? how come they are allowed to ply ?
The problem with this is that this will be overturned by SC and then provide grounds to auto manufacturers not to incorporate safety measures unless all aspects of vehicle safety are clearly spelt out.