Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, has approved a draught notification that would be requiring six airbags in cars with up to eight passengers. In an effort to increase road safety in India, the minister had earlier encouraged all carmakers to include six airbags as standard equipment on all vehicles, and this now takes his plan closer to reality.
- Cars with dual airbags became obligatory on January 1, 2022.
- Some vehicles may need to be re-engineered to accommodate six airbags.
- This might result in a large increase in vehicle costs, particularly for low-cost vehicles.
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All automobiles may be required to have six airbags.
“I have formally authorized a new GSR Notification making a minimum of 6 airbags obligatory in motor vehicles carrying up to 8 passengers,” Gadkari tweeted.
While the minister hasn’t stated when carmakers would be required to provide six airbags as standard equipment, it should be recalled that dual airbags were only made necessary on all vehicles in January. Meanwhile, starting on July 1, 2019, all passenger vehicles must have a driver airbag.
What challenges might there be?
Six airbags as standard in a car will, without a doubt, increase the vehicle’s collision safety rating, albeit there may be some obstacles, especially in the budget category. For starters, it will definitely raise vehicle prices. A frontal airbag in a budget automobile costs between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000, while side and curtain airbags might cost twice as much.
As a result, a car with six airbags might cost up to Rs 50,000 more, which is a major price increase for cars priced between Rs 3 lakh and Rs 3.5 lakh. It’s worth noting that none of the major carmakers, including Maruti Suzuki, Renault, and Nissan, sell vehicles with more than two airbags. Most carmakers only begin to include six airbags in models and versions that cost more than Rs 10 lakh.
The second issue is that adding more airbags will necessitate extensive reengineering in vehicles that were not initially built to provide that level of protection. To ensure that the airbags deploy effectively and safely, changes to the body shell, as well as the interior trim and fittings, would be required. Costs would rise once more as a result of this.
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The car sector is already struggling from growing input and operating expenses, and harsher pollution standards are on the way with the second phase of CAFE and BS6 emission standards due in 2022-’23. While the ministry hopes that automakers would absorb the majority of the increased input costs, some will unavoidably be passed on to customers.
The car sector is already struggling from growing input and operating expenses, and harsher pollution standards are on the way with the second phase of CAFE and BS6 emission standards due in 2022-’23. While the ministry hopes that automakers would absorb the majority of the increased input costs, some will unavoidably be passed on to customers.
It remains to be seen how installing six airbags as standard on all vehicles affects automakers’ and customers’ cost structures. But one thing is certain: while cars will get more expensive, they will also become much safer.