Mandatory 6 airbags to hit small car market: Maruti
Firm wants govt to reconsider proposal; says not right time to bring rule
New Delhi, May 31: Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) wants the government to reconsider the proposal to make six airbags mandatory in passenger vehicles, saying the norm will adversely hit the already shrinking small car market and may even impact jobs in the auto sector going ahead.
The auto major noted that the regulation would largely impact the costsensitive entry-level car segment—which has been facing headwinds and witnessing dwindling sales over the last three years— making it even more difficult for two-wheeler users to upgrade to small cars.
Earlier this year, the road transport ministry said it will make it mandatory for carmakers
to provide a minimum of six airbags in motor vehicles that can carry up to 8 passengers for enhanced safety of occupants from October this year.
In an interaction with PTI, MSI chairman R.C. Bhargava said the cost of the entry-level cars has already gone up considerably due to the implementation of various regulatory norms in the past few years, including the BS-VI emission regime from April 1 2020.
With prices going up, the sales of small cars have been impacted especially in the non-metro markets across the country, the industry veteran noted.
He cautioned that with the implementation of the six airbag regulation the prices will further go up leading to further shrinking of the domestic small car industry.
"So, the fear is that due to this (six airbags) the market will become smaller. The car manufacturing sector is important because it is a big creator of employment. When the car sells in the market it creates many jobs—drivers, maintenance, repairs, accessories etc,"
Bhargava stated.
He noted that there were not many countries across the globe, which may have implemented such a regulation.
"I think, we will be among the first countries to do that...so we in the industry think that it is not the right time to bring six airbag regulations. We would like the government to reconsider this matter," Bhargava said.
As per the government, the airbags will ensure the safety of passengers across all segments, irrespective of the cost/variant of the vehicle.
According to the latest government data, a total of 1,16,496 road accidents occurred on national highways in 2020, causing 47,984 deaths.