India now sixth country globally to be able to conduct NCAP crash tests
18. May 2023Ahead of the introduction of India’s Bharat NCAP safety ratings for new vehicles this year, Mahendra Nath Pandey, the minister in charge of heavy industries, announced that India will soon also be able to conduct crash tests according to the globally recognised NCAP standards. The NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme) ratings will apply in India from 1 April 2023, Pandey said. India is thus one of six countries worldwide that can offer crash tests and ratings to the car industry according to international standards. Products and components in the automotive category generally require AIS certification or BIS certification to be approved for import, distribution and use in India.
The visionary project had been started by the previous Prime Minister Vajpayee and has now been implemented under Narendra Modri. “India is now the sixth country in the world, along with the UK, Japan, South Korea, China and Taiwan, with NCAP-compliant testing facilities,” Minister Pandey said during a visit to the International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT). ICAT plays an important role in the safety assessment of new cars, according to Pandey. India has not only become globally interesting for car manufacturers with the introduction of NCAP, but it will also have a major impact on the domestic auto industry, Pandey said.
Already last year, the Indian government decided to introduce Bharat-NCAP, a star-based safety rating of new vehicles based on crash test results. Besides ICAT, three other institutions in India conduct the crash tests: the National Automobile Test Track (NATRAX) in Indore, the Automobile Research Association of India (ARAI) in Pune and the Global Automotive Research Centre (GARC) in Chennai. The government has also removed another hurdle with regard to conducting crash tests in India. Thus, the import tax of 252 per cent on new cars for the purpose of crash testing has been abolished. “This step will make India more attractive for international car manufacturers,” Minister Pandey concluded.
Cars and their components have to be certified under the AIS guidelines in India. AIS stands for the Automotive Industry Standards, the technical automotive standards for India. MPR International GmbH – India Certification will be pleased to assist you with AIS certification and is also available to answer any questions you may have.
