India has initiated its inaugural car safety rating program, named the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP), effective from October 1st. This program, fashioned after the Global NCAP, has been customized to align with India’s distinct safety standards and is ready to commence crash tests for over three dozen vehicles on December 15th.
How it will work?
Bharat NCAP crash testing initiative adheres to the Automotive Industry Standard AIS 197. It encompasses vehicles falling under the M1 category, capable of carrying up to eight passengers (including the driver) and having a gross weight not exceeding 3.5 tonnes. The program also extends its coverage to imported cars, CNG, and electric vehicles. It’s meticulously crafted to assess and rank automobiles based on three critical facets: adult occupant protection (AOP), child occupant protection (COP), and safety assist technologies (SAT).
The execution of Bharat NCAP will be overseen by designated agencies appointed by the Indian government. These agencies comprise the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), the International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT), and Global Automotive Research (GAR), among others. They will allocate star ratings on a scale ranging from zero to five, based on the performance of vehicles during crash tests.
Who are participating in the first batch?
Pioneering the Bharat NCAP rating endeavor is Tata Motors, which has promptly submitted their newly introduced models, the Harrier and Safari facelifts, for the initial round of crash testing. Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai have each nominated three models for testing, while Mahindra is preparing to submit four of their cars for evaluation. The testing agencies will select three units of the base variant for each model. Hyundai has confirmed that their first model to be tested under Bharat NCAP will be the Tucson SUV, with expectations of the newly-launched Exter micro SUV to follow suit.
And who are not?
Notably, European car manufacturers like Skoda, Volkswagen, Renault and the Stellantis Group (Jeep and Citroen) have not rushed to subject their vehicles to Bharat NCAP safety ratings at this juncture.
