End of 2023: The Indian automobile industry will undergo major transformation in 2023, with both car manufacturers and the government focusing on passenger safety. The introduction of the Bharat New Car Assessment Program (BNCAP), which aims to assess the safety of vehicles in India, is one of the key developments in the Indian automobile industry. Meanwhile, automakers such as Hyundai and Kia are taking proactive steps to mandate six airbags across their vehicle lineups. This safety standard will also be adopted by other Indian automakers including Tata and Mahindra. In addition, most vehicles include standard elements such as three-point seat belts, ISOFIX seats designed for children, traction control, anti-lock braking systems, tire pressure monitoring systems, and a suite of advanced driver assistance systems. Mandatory safety features are in place. (ADAS) functions.
Bharat NCAP
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has introduced a new vehicle safety assessment program called Bharat NCAP. With this initiative, India becomes the fifth country in the world to introduce its own safety rating system for testing vehicles. Testing based on India’s unique safety assessment system BNCAP began today, December 15th. Several automakers including Tata, Mahindra, Hyundai, Maruti Suzuki and Kia have already voluntarily sent some of their models for testing under BNCAP. Bharat NCAP has already accepted over 30 models for testing under this programme. The Bharat NCAP test follows the same parameters as the Global NCAP, thus eliminating the need to conduct a separate his GNCAP test on Indian cars. The introduction of Bharat NCAP is an important step towards strengthening passenger vehicle safety standards in India.
Vehicles undergoing BNCAP testing are given a star rating based on their performance in two different categories: Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) and Child Occupant Protection (COP). The Bharat NCAP emblem and sticker will be pasted on the vehicle along with the safety rating score after clearing the test. The Bharat NCAP program will test not only ICE vehicles but also CNG and EVs manufactured in India. The BNCAP evaluation consists of three main tests: an offset deformable barrier frontal impact test, a side impact test, and a pole side impact test. To earn a 5-star rating from Bharat NCAP, a vehicle must achieve a minimum of 27 points for Adult Occupant Protection and 41 points for Child Occupant Protection.
Additionally, cars tested under the global NCAP test faced increased development costs for Indian automakers. While the cost of vehicle testing under the Global NCAP program was around Rs 2,500 crore, the safety tests conducted under Bharat NCAP will only cost around Rs 6,000,000. The introduction of the Bharat NCAP test is expected to help manufacturers reduce these testing costs.
safety features
In addition to the introduction of Bharat NCAP, automakers have paid special attention to safety in terms of build quality, structural integrity, and functionality of their models. Hyundai is the first Indian manufacturer to announce that all models sold in India will come standard with six airbags. Following Hyundai, South Korean luxury brand Kia also announced that all its models will be equipped with six airbags as standard equipment.
Additionally, most cars are now equipped with standard safety features such as three-point seat belts, ISOFIX child seats, traction control, anti-lock braking systems, tire pressure monitoring systems, and various ADAS features. Indian market. When it comes to advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), manufacturers are paying great attention to incorporating ADAS features into their new and upcoming models to enhance safety.