Safety Mandates Transforming Indian Automotive, 2020

The automotive industry is at a tipping point, with factors such as increasing urbanization and congestion, shifting consumer behavior toward connectivity, transition toward electric vehicles, and many more disrupting the changing dynamics of the market. One such factor that has garnered attention across the globe is the rising focus on reducing road fatalities, implications of which is safer standards for vehicles.

India featured among the largest car markets in the world, yet it was the only country in the top-10 markets to lack a proper car safety regulation or testing program. Moreover, the country is among those with the highest automotive fatalities as well. As a result, the industry witnessed the inception of Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assessment Program (BNVSAP). BNVSAP is India’s standardized safety program that will assess the safety of every car model being sold in India and will rate them with stars according to how they fare against crash tests. These safety assessments will be conducted in 4 different phases in crash test labs. The program also puts up lists of safety features that need to be mandated for new cars and ensures that OEMs adhere to these norms. In case a car model fails the safety test, the manufacturer will have to make amends for the car to be launched in the market.

In 2019, multiple active and safety features were mandated by BNVSAP—airbags, rear parking sensors, seatbelt reminders, and more. Along with these, crash testing standards for new vehicles were also announced, increasing the safety levels of vehicles manufactured in India.
In this research service, Frost & Sullivan analyzes and forecasts the emerging passive and active safety standards in India and the strategies of key OEMs, along with the impact of these strategies on the Indian safety ecosystem. The applications included are airbags, seatbelts and seatbelt reminders, speed warning units, antilock braking system (ABS) , traction control systems (TCS), and electronic stability program (ESP) systems.