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In a move aimed at bolstering safety and quality standards, the Indian government has strengthened regulations for automobile wheel rims through the newly-issued Automobile Wheel Rim Component (Quality Control) Amendment Order-II, 2023. This follows the initial quality control order (QCO) released in September 2020.
The Ministry of Heavy Industries (MHI) issued an order on December 19, maintaining exemptions for exports and limited volume imports for repairs, research and development (R&D), and low-production model vehicles. However, the new order imposes stricter thresholds.
“The amendment will come into effect on December 22, 2023, or upon its publication in the Official Gazette, whichever is later,” the MHI said in a notification.
The government has revised quotas for four-wheeler manufacturers regarding wheel rim imports. The updated regulations now limit imports for repairs and after-sales service to 5,000 units (for 1,250 vehicles) annually. Similarly, the allowance for research and development (R&D) purposes has been capped at 10,000 units (for 2,500 vehicles) per year. Moreover, each financial year, a four-wheeler vehicle manufacturer in India is permitted to import a maximum of 50,000 units of four-wheeler automotive wheel rims, intended for use in manufacturing 10,000 four-wheeler vehicles.
Each financial year, a two-wheeler vehicle manufacturer can import a maximum of 24,000 units of two-wheeler automotive wheel rims, intended for use in repairing or after-sales services for 12,000 two-wheeler vehicles. A maximum of 10,000 units of two-wheeler automotive wheel rims can be imported by a manufacturer for research and development (R&D) purposes, catering to 5,000 vehicles in total.
Import of up to 70,000 units of two-wheeler automotive wheel rims (for 35,000 vehicles) per financial year, per two-wheeler vehicle manufacturer for manufacturing two-wheeler vehicles in India, is subject to not more than 25,000 automobile wheel rim units of one type.
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Each two-wheeler manufacturer is also permitted to import a maximum of 70,000 units of two-wheeler automotive wheel rims for manufacturing 35,000 vehicles. However, this allowance is subject to a limit of not more than 25,000 automobile wheel rim units of one specific type.
An exemption is also allowed for up to five wheel rims per vehicle under rule 126A of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. This provision grants a relaxation from testing if the number of vehicles sold in India for a specific base model and its variants remains below 250 in any consecutive six-month period within a year.
