Bharat NCAP: Indian Car Crash Test Programme

[jithinmjose]

When will India see a car with abs and airbags as standard in a base model car? 2015 or 2016 or 17?? Is this a law now? What's the status?

 

[vm2011]

Maruti Suzuki's models to meet new crash test standards ahead of schedule.



Vitara Brezza, Baleno, Ertiga, Ciaz and Ignis are already crash compliant ahead of the mandated 2019 schedule.
About 75-80 per cent cars in the Maruti Suzuki portfolio would become compliant with these norms about a year ahead of them becoming mandatory in India.



Suzuki

 

[a4arun]

I guess others are already compliant. Maruti is infact late to the party and they have the audacity to claim that they are ahead of the curve. What an unscrupulous bunch.

 

[acechip]

I guess others are already compliant. Maruti is infact late to the party and they have the audacity to claim that they are ahead of the curve. What an unscrupulous bunch.

I wouldn't be so sure, given that we still have many cars with single airbag and lack of ABS in base, mid level offerings.

 

[Nairrk]

Bharat NCAP Car Safety Rating System Protocols To Be Finalized Soon

Bharat New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) will assess new vehicles and assign star ratings on the same lines as Global NCAP and European NCAP car safety programs

Talks of having an exclusive Indian NCAP for testing safety of new vehicles has been doing the rounds for some years now. As per latest announcements, this could be a reality soon. As on date it is seen that homegrown auto makers, Tata and Mahindra have some of the safest cars on offer, as per Global NCAP ratings.

Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has announced a new star rating system for vehicles in India. This will be on the same lines as Global NCAP and European NCAP and will be called ‘Bharat NCAP’. Gadkari has stressed the need to reduce road accidents in the country which as on date account for over 1.50 lakh road accidents each year leading to a 3.1 percent loss in the country’s GDP.

The Government now targets to reduce the number of road accidents by 50 percent by the year 2025. The condition of Indian roads, which are at times reasons for these accidents, should also be improved on parallel lines if there is to be any real change to be brought about.

Bharat NCAP Car Safety Rating System
Though no time frame was given for launching these new vehicle safety standard, the Government has announced that it will be made mandatory for all new vehicles that carry upto 8 passengers to have at least 6 airbags. These will include front two airbags along with side curtain airbags for passengers in all three rows. Other safety features will include three-point seat belt and automatic emergency braking system (AEBS) for new passenger vehicles. These new safety standards are based on suggestions received by the public when they were asked for comments.

The new safety standards will not only protect passengers but will also take into account safety of both pedestrians and other road users. Gadkari has also devised a 12 point initiative for mandatory safety features such as Electronic Stability Control, Emergency Braking System and Driver Drowsiness Alert System to be a part of these new safety standards.

As on date, only front and rear window seats have three point seat belts which are also known as Y shaped belts. The middle seats at the rear have seatbelts similar to that seen on airplanes which go over the lap.

Implementation of New Safety Standards
The Government is also working on introducing other safety regulations as per global standards. These will include noise in electric vehicles so as to warn other road users of their presence. This comes at a time when the demand for electric vehicles is on the rise.

On the plus side, while this will conserve energy and preserve the environment, it is noted that these vehicles make less sound. It often leads to other road users not being aware of their presence thus making them vulnerable to crashes and accidents.

In keeping with these higher safety standards, the Government has also set up production linked incentive schemes leading to an increase in production of airbags and a dip in pricing. Earlier fitting of two airbags could cost the automaker around Rs 12,000. This has now declined to around Rs 3,000 for a pair of airbags thus making it feasible for both automaker and buyer to have this added safety feature. Even as October 2022 has been proposed for the deadline for implementation of these new safety standards, the industry seeks more time to comply with these regulations.

Source

 

[Nairrk]

Bharat NCAP Crash Test Norms will be out soon, Nitin Gadkari

There has been a lot of talk about Bharat NCAP crash norms being introduced in the country and though nothing concrete has come up yet. The Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, was asked about the progress of Bharat NCAP in India during the 'Question Hour' in Parliament. He replied saying, "Norms are already being notified by the Ministry of Road Transport, and Bharat NCAP will be over and above crash standards will improve competition. All over in the world, in South Korea, USA, and European countries, their standards are already fixed. Now this is the need of the hour, and the honourable member is absolutely correct. Every year we are facing, 5 lakh road accidents, and 1.50 lakh deaths. For that reason, we are taking a lot of measures, that is 6 airbags are now mandatory, and from a road safety point of view, it is very important. We have taken a decision to make it mandatory for economic models as well."

The minister, however, did brief everyone about what the crash test norms would cover. He said, "Bharat NCAP will cover Structural safety, the stiffness of the vehicle structure, safety of the adult occupant (crash test), safety of child occupant (crash test), assessment of car design for pedestrian safety (bonnet and bumper design), provision of active and passive safety, safety technologies, 6 airbags, 3-point seat belts, seat belt alert, ESP, ABS."

He went on to state that using all these technologies will protect the lives of the occupants, and that is the biggest reason why the crash rating system is important for the automobile industry. He even said that this will qualitatively improve the automobile industry and at the same time, it will be more useful to push better and safer cars to export markets.

Carandbike

 

[Nairrk]

Bharat NCAP crash tests will be tailored around Indian conditions: ARAI

First announced in 2016, progress on the Bharat NCAP has been slow, however, its implementation is now a step closer. In a panel discussion hosted by our sister publication Autocar Professional, Abhay Mannikar, advisor, Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), an autonomous body associated with the Union Ministry of Heavy Industries, said “Documents for Bharat NCAP are ready and the time is right for the introduction of Bharat NCAP soon.”

• ARAI fully geared to execute Bharat NCAP
• Common rating for adult, child protection
• Also focuses on CNG, electric vehicles

Read

 

[Nairrk]

Bharat NCAP - Government approves draft note on vehicle crash tests

The government on Friday approved a draft notification to introduce Bharat NCAP, a crash test programme, wherein automobiles will be accorded star ratings based on their performance in crash tests.

Till now, manufacturers were conducting creash tests voluntarily at their research centres or would send cars to independent agencies like NCAP in the UK to get the star ratings. While the Indian government's front offset test is conducted at 56kph, Global NCAP does it at 64kph.

"I have now approved the Draft GSR Notification to introduce Bharat NCAP (New Car Assessment Program), wherein automobiles in India shall be accorded Star Ratings based upon their performance in Crash Tests," Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) said in a tweet.


"Bharat-NCAP will serve as a consumer-centric platform, allowing customers to opt for safer cars based upon their star-ratings, while promoting healthy competition among original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in India to manufacture safer vehicles," he said.

He also said the Star Rating of Indian cars based on crash tests is 'extremely crucial' not only to ensure structural and passenger safety in cars, but also to increase the export-worthiness of Indian automobiles.

The testing protocol of Bharat NCAP will be aligned with Global Crash Test Protocols, factoring in the existing Indian regulations, allowing OEMs to get their vehicles tested at India’s own in-house testing facilities, Gadkari said in his thread of tweets.

"Bharat NCAP will prove to be a critical instrument in making our automobile industry Aatmanirbhar, with the mission of making India the Number 1 automobile hub in the world," he added.

In recent years, companies such as Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors have sent their vehicles to Global NCAP for the crash tests and have got five-star ratings for some of their newly launched products.

However, the country's largest passenger car maker Maruti Suzuki India (MSIL) has been following Indian standards and its cars, including the Alto, SPresso, WagonR and Swift have got poor ratings in Global NCAP crash tests.

In February, when BusinessLine asked MSIL's then Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Kenichi Ayukawa about this, he had said, "Global NCAP is an organisation and not a regulator...Indian regulations and European regulations are exactly the same in frontal offset norm, side impact norm and pedestrian impact norm. India is on a par with Europe in crash test norms and we are already there (meet the norms)."
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[Nairrk]

Bharat NCAP roll out confirmed for April 1, 2023

Bharat NCAP will be the new car safety assessment programme for cars that are produced and sold in India. The assessment programme proposes a mechanism for rewarding 'Star Ratings' to vehicles on the basis of their performance at a crash test facility. The assessment will come into effect from April 1, 2023, confirmed as official statement. As per the statement, the Bharat New Car Assesment Programme will be applicable for all vehicles falling in M1 category that have a weight less than 3.5 tonnes and have a seating capacity of less than 9 occupants.

The standard is aligned with global benchmarks and it is beyond minimum regulatory requirements, it said.

The statement said Bharat NCAP rating will provide consumers an indication of the level of protection offered to occupants by evaluating the vehicle in the areas of -- adult occupant protection, child occupant protection and safety assist technologies.

The testing of vehicles for this programme will be carried out at testing agencies, with the necessary infrastructure, it added.

In a series of tweets, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP) will serve as a consumer-centric platform, allowing customers to opt for safer cars based upon their Star-Ratings, while promoting a healthy competition among original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in India to manufacture safer vehicles.

"I have now approved the draft GSR notification to introduce Bharat NCAP (New Car Assessment Program), wherein automobiles in India shall be accorded Star Ratings based upon their performance in crash tests," Gadkari had said.

The Road Transport and Highways minister had stressed that Star Ratings of Indian cars based on crash tests is extremely crucial not only to ensure structural and passenger safety in cars, but to also increase the export-worthiness of Indian automobiles.

The testing protocol of Bharat NCAP shall be aligned with global crash-test protocols factoring in the existing Indian regulations, allowing OEMs to get their vehicles tested at India's own in-house testing facilities, Gadkari had said.

According to him, Bharat NCAP will prove to be a critical instrument in making our automobile industry Aatmanirbhar with the mission of making India the top automobile hub in the world.

Bharat NCAP will encourage manufacturers to participate voluntarily in the safety testing assessment programme and incorporate higher safety levels in new car models.

The proposed assessment will allocate Star Ratings from 1 to 5 stars.

The initiative is aimed at making mobility safer amid the country witnessing a total of 3,66,138 road accidents during the calendar year 2020, causing 1,31,714 deaths.

Zeenews

 

[Nairrk]

Bharat NCAP to crash-test cars with higher speed to reflect fast traffic

India aims to improve car safety standards and will raise the speed in its crash tests as better roads increase the likelihood of faster vehicles being involved in accidents and add to one of the world`s worst car-crash death tolls. The Road Transport Ministry has produced a 197-page draft outlining its plan to establish a new safety rating system. The draft is expected to be finalized over the coming weeks. With roads improving, Indian cars are going faster, and so they have to be tested at higher speeds in line with international standards, said a government official involved in the reform.

Road safety rules in India need to be at par with the world," said the official, who declined to be identified as he is not authorized to speak to the media. "It is essential to increase the crash test speed," the official said.

Under the ministry`s proposal, the speed at which a car undergoes a crash test will be raised to 64 km per hour (40 mph), in line with a global standard, from 56 kph (35 mph). India, the world`s fourth-largest car market, has some of the deadliest roads. Government data showed that more than 133,000 people were killed in 355,000 road accidents in 2020.

The ministry has proposed a star rating system for cars based on several tests, including a crash from front and side. The government hopes the new system will encourage carmakers to provide advanced safety features in exchange for a higher rating.

The system, which will come into effect from April next year, is among several steps India is taking to boost road safety. The government has also proposed mandating six airbags in all cars, up from two.

Gaurav Vangaal, associate director for light vehicle production forecast at S&P Global Mobility, said the new system would make cars safer as companies will have to reinforce their vehicle structure to get a good rating. Still, it would also make them more expensive.

"This will impact affordability putting direct pressure on sales of entry segment models where buyers are more price-sensitive," Vangaal said. About 3 million cars are sold in India each year. The market is dominated by Japanese carmaker Suzuki Motor Co`s Indian unit, Maruti Suzuki, and South Korea`s Hyundai Motor Co.

Zeenews

 

[350Z]

Mahmood Ahmed (Additional Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways) has stated that Bharat New Car Assessment Programme crash test norms will come into effect from October 1, 2023 (Source: Link).​

Ahmed stated that the Ministry has finalised the draft notification, with the process for rolling out the norms starting tomorrow, July 1, 2023.

"We have set the stage for the implementation of the BNCAP norms by finalising the draft notification, which will be put up for mandatory review on July 1, for 30 days,” Ahmed stated.

The Additional Secretary of MoRTH further added that through a consultative window, the government, "Will invite feedback from various OEMs, and minor changes, if required, will be tweaked during this period, which will end on August 31, 2023, and facilitate the operationalisation of norms."

When asked if there are larger challenges sighted by stakeholders, he said that should there be valid issues raised by stakeholders, "the government is open to reconsidering the date of implementation beyond October 1 to accommodate the challenges and give further time for its implementation."

Nitin Gadkari, the Minister of Road Transport and Highways in India had earlier stated that BNCAP will allow Indian manufacturers to get their vehicles tested at the country's in-house testing facilities and also increase the export-worthiness of Indian automobiles.
When BNCAP ratings are implemented, OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) will be required to have in-built safety measures, and consumers will be able to choose safer vehicles. The government has aligned Bharat NCAP's testing protocol with global crash-test protocols, and the new standards will feature star ratings ranging from 1 to 5 stars on their website.

Drive Safe,
350Z

 

[Nairrk]

Bharat NCAP, India's own car crash safety rating to come into effect from October 1

India is set to have its own car crash safety rating. Called Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (BNCAP), major auto manufacturers of the country - Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki and Toyota have termed the upcoming rating as a bold step in the right direction for the domestic industry.

In a statement to news agency PTI, Velusamy R, President - Automotive Technology and Product Development, Mahindra & Mahindra said “We at Mahindra believe it is one of the bold steps by the Ministry of road transport and we welcome the implementation of Bharat NCAP."

This initiative of MoRTH will generate equal opportunities and create healthy competition among OEMs to make safer models for Indian customers, he added.

The government aims to implement the programme from October 1, 2023, PTI says in a report. The government has issued a draft notification on the BNCAP which proposes awarding 'Star Ratings' to automobiles based on their performance in crash tests.

Once the BNCAP gets implemented, manufacturers or importers of motor vehicles will have to submit an application in FORM 70-A to the agency designated by the central government.

As per the report, the designated agency will then get their motor vehicle star rated in accordance with the Automotive Industry Standard (AIS)-197, as amended from time to time.

Star rating of the vehicle shall be uploaded on the designated portal by the designated agency, it said. It is noteworthy to state here that the BNCAP will be a voluntary programme.

Talking about the upcoming BNCAP, Maruti Suzuki India Executive Officer (Corporate Affairs) Rahul Bharti said the auto major supports the initiative.

Livemint

 

[Nairrk]

Nitin Gadkari to launch Bharat NCAP on August 22

In a big boost to the road safety campaign in India, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari will launch the much-awaited Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP) on August 22, 2023. This is for the first time India will get its own independent crash test programme, where the government will test newly launched cars on various parameters to assess their road worthiness. This programme is also a significant step forward in the Government’s commitment to improve road safety through raising the safety standards of motor vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes in India.

Currently, the cars sold in India are not assessed for road safety by any government or private entity in India. However, Global NCAP, a South Africa based non profit body performs crash test on new cars sold in India under their SaferCarsForIndia campaign. However, the tests performed by the Global NCAP are mostly voluntarily and not mandatory by the govt.

The Bharat NCAP programme aims to provide a tool to the car customers to make a comparative assessment of crash safety of motor vehicles available in the market. Under this programme, car manufacturers can voluntarily offer their cars tested as per Automotive Industry Standard (AIS) 197. The programme is expected to develop a safety sensitive car market in India.

Zee News

 

[350Z]

Note: Thread closed since the speculations are now over and Bharat NCAP has been officially introduced. Please continue further discussions in this thread: Bharat NCAP Crash Test Programme Introduced.

Drive Safe,
350Z