Question : Bharat New Car Assessment Programme

(a) whether the Government has approved/issued a notification to introduce Bharat New Car Assessment Programme to enable automobile industry to accord star ratings to vehicles;
(b) if so, the details and the salient features thereof;
(c) whether manufactures of small segment of cars have been facing difficulties in providing low-cost vehicles in the country as a result thereof;
(d) if so, the number of car manufacturers who have represented against the said new policy; and
(e) the extent to which the said new policy is likely to increase road safety in the country?

THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS

(SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)

(a) and (b) The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued G.S.R. 472(E) dated 24th June 2022, whereby it has been proposed to insert a new rule 126E in CMVR (Central Motor Vehicles Rules), 1989 regarding the Bharat New Car Assessment Program (BNCAP). The following has been proposed:-

(i) It is applicable on Type Approved motor vehicles of category M1 [motor vehicles used for the carriage of passengers, comprising not more than eight seats, in addition to driver’s seat] with gross vehicle weight less than 3.5 Tonnes, manufactured or imported in the country, in accordance with the Automotive Industry Standard (AIS)-197. The standard is aligned with global benchmarks: it is beyond minimum regulatory requirements.

(ii) Bharat NCAP rating provides star rating to motor vehicles, which will enable consumers to evaluate the level of protection offered to occupants in motor vehicles in the fields of (a) Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) (b) Child Occupant Protection (COP) and (c) Safety Assist Technologies (SAT). The vehicle shall be assigned a star rating from one to five stars, based on scoring against various tests undertaken as per AIS 197.

It introduces the concept of safety rating of passenger cars and empowers consumers to take informed decisions. It will promote export worthiness of the cars produced by OEMs in the country and increase the domestic customer’s confidence in these vehicles. Additionally the program will encourage manufacturers to provide advanced safety technologies to earn higher ratings.

(iii) The testing of vehicles for this program will be carried out at Testing Agencies, with the necessary infrastructure, referred to in Rule 126 of CMVR 1989.

(iv)It will be implemented from the 1st day of April, 2023. Comments and suggestions on the draft notification have been solicited from all stakeholders within a period of thirty days.

(c) and (d) No. There will not be any impact on Cost of small/big automobiles due to BNCAP.

(e) If consumers buy automobiles of higher rating, number of deaths in road accidents are likely to reduce significantly. A study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), USA, indicates that frontal airbags alone can save upto 34%of lives lost due to frontal collisions. Use of side airbags alone can save upto 31%of lives lost due to side collisions.

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