Airbags

The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a plea to ensure installation of six airbags in passenger vehicles and said the matter was exclusively within the policy domain. A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran told the petitioner to make a representation to the government. The petitioner said he had already given a representation to the government on May 17. "The prayers made in the writ petition are exclusively within the domain of policy to be framed by the executive. We are, therefore, not inclined to entertain the present petition," the bench said. If the petitioner has made a representation to the Centre, the bench said, the same would be considered on its own merits. The plea urged the court to declare non-mandating of six airbags was a violation of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution besides seeking a direction to authorities concerned to enhance vehicle safety mechanisms. While Article 14 deals with equality before the law, Article 21 pro

NHTSA had argued at a hearing in October 2023 that inflators produced by two airbag manufacturers, ARC Automotive and Delphi Automotive, should be recalled

German premium car maker Volkswagen India on Monday said it will offer six airbags across all variants of its 5-Star Global NCAP (GNCAP) safety-rated Taigun and Virtus models. Since the introduction of the India 2.0 product portfolio, the company said it is continuously enhancing its product offerings and has expanded its variant line-up, keeping in mind customer demand for its cars in India. While the subcompact crossover SUV Taigun was launched in India in September 2021, themed-sized sedan Virtus was rolled out in March 2022. "Our portfolio of India 2.0 cars will offer six airbags as standard across the line-up. With this, we are showcasing our commitment towards safer mobility," Brand Director at Volkswagen Passenger Cars India Ashish Gupta said. "We are also delighted to have achieved the over 1-lakh sales milestone by the Taigun and Virtus (since their introduction)," he said. Recently, Volkswagen India introduced two new variants of the Taigun GT Line with 1-litre turbo-pet

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Implementation of airbags in other vehicle segments over the medium term will offer further revenue upside for airbag manufacturers, as per rating agency ICRA

The industry size of airbags, a key safety feature in vehicles, is expected to grow to up to Rs 7,000 crore by FY2027 in India, from the current levels of around Rs 2,500 crore, according to ratings agency Icra. The growth in the airbag industry, which is one of the fastest growing auto component segments, is expected to be fuelled by the increase in content per vehicle arising from higher regulatory requirements and voluntary increase in the number of airbags per vehicle for enhancing safety, Icra said in a statement. "The mandatory content per vehicle for airbag manufacturers is expected to rise from Rs 3,000-4,000 currently to Rs 8,000-10,000 by October 1, 2023. The average number of airbags per car sold is about three currently, and this is expected to increase significantly post the mandatory implementation of six airbags per car from October 1, 2023," Icra Vice President and Sector Head Vinutaa S said. Accordingly, Icra said it expects the industry to grow to Rs 6,000-7,000 ..

The problem will be fixed through an over-the-air software update, the company said

Kia India on Tuesday said it is recalling 44,174 units of its latest model 'Carens' to inspect and fix any potential error in air bag control module software. As a responsible corporate, the company has decided to voluntarily recall the vehicles for inspection and if required, a software update will be provided free of cost, the automaker said in a statement. The voluntary recall campaign is being undertaken to inspect any potential error in air bag control module software in the Carens, it added. The company said it will directly reach out to the owners of the concerned vehicles to update them about this voluntary recall campaign. Customers of the affected vehicles would be required to get in touch with their respective Kia authorised dealers to schedule an appointment. Kia India had launched the model, which comes with six and seven seating options, in February this year. The Carens comes powered by a 1.5 petrol, 1.4 litre petrol, and 1.5 diesel powertrains mated with three ...

Nitin Gadkari cites 'global supply chain constraints' as reason for the shift in decision

The government said on Thursday it is deferring until October 2023 the implementation of norms mandating six airbags in all cars, giving the industry a one-year extension

Earlier in September, MoRTH has issued draft rules to make it mandatory for car makers to install alarm system for rear seat belts

Not much gain for seat belts, which are a standard feature in several vehicles; but the airbag rule--as and when it takes effect--will have a multiplier effect on safety-critical components

The car industry's resistance to safety features in all cars irrespective of size is indefensible

The government will make it mandatory for carmakers to provide a minimum of six airbags in motor vehicles that can carry up to eight passengers for enhanced safety of occupants, Nitin Gadkari said

Car-makers' airbag objections are disingenuous

The auto major noted that the regulation would largely impact the cost-sensitive entry-level car segment -- which has been facing headwinds and witnessing dwindling sales over the last three years

Failure of a car manufacturer to provide an airbag system should be subject to punitive damages which can have a deterrent effect, the Supreme Court has said.

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India's road transport ministry is pushing ahead with its decision to require all passenger cars to have six airbags, despite resistance from some carmakers

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, in a statement, said this is being done in order to enhance the safety of occupants of the motor vehicle