Introduction of Bharat NCAP will make Indian roads safe: FADA President

Automotive dealers' body FADA on Tuesday said the government's move to bring a new car safety assessment programme on the basis of crash tests performance will not only make the Indian roads safe but it will also bring the country's manufacturing at par with global standards.

Lauding the government's plans to introduce Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP) from April 1, 2023, Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) President Vinkesh Gulati said the programme must be made mandatory for all the manufacturers so that the choice should be on the customer.

"This will not only make Indian roads safe but it will also bring Indian manufacturing at par with global standards in terms of product innovation, safety and technology," he said in a statement.

There were Indian OEMs which were giving a lot of importance to passenger safety and getting their vehicle tested under Global NCAP, but a lot of multinational OEMs were not interested in this, Gulati lamented.

"Having Bharat NCAP criteria will mark a turning point in the development of the Indian automotive sector in terms of product, technology and safety, by providing a platform for testing the safety levels of vehicles in Indian conditions," he added.

Stating that the Bharat NCAP will provide the customers a comparison between vehicle models and help them to make a decision considering the crash safety too, he said, "The government should make Bharat NCAP mandatory for all the OEMs, so that the choice should be on the customer."

There may be customers who choose a lower Bharat NCAP rating as their use is purely in the city, Gulati argued.

Last week, the government had announced that a new car safety assessment programme, Bharat NCAP. The programme proposes a mechanism of awarding 'Star Ratings' to automobiles based upon their performance in crash tests.