Some of the important notifications for the automobile industry that the Government was supposed to announce soon may come only after the General Elections.
The final notifications on the vehicle category of quadricycles, mandatory recall policy of defective vehicles, and fuel efficiency standard, are yet to be issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. “The quadricycle draft notification has been made, but the final notification is not ready. We have given our consent and it will go to the Law Ministry, and then the Road Ministry will announce. If any announcement happens, it will be only after the new Government is formed,” a senior official at Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises told Business Line .
He said even if the Ministries agree to the final notifications, new regulations may take effect only after elections, he said.
Bajaj Auto will be the first company to introduce the quadricycle, a vehicle meant for carrying passengers and also to be plied as a goods carrier. According to the draft notification, the passenger variant will be three metres in length, and will be meant for last mile connectivity and used only as a commercial vehicle. .
The regulation on mandatory recall of defective vehicles was raised to make sure manufacturers take care of quality and safety measures before rolling out a vehicle.
Major recalls during 2013, such as General Motors India’s multi-purpose vehicle Tavera, Yamaha Motor’s Ray scooter and Ford’s EcoSport, prompted the Government to introduce such a policy.
Similarly, the final notification on fuel efficiency standards is being drafted by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), and the standards for the vehicles will be implemented in two phases — by 2017 and 2022.
According to this policy, fuel efficiency standards will be measured in terms of carbon dioxide emission and the Government is expected to reduce the emission to 129 gm of Co 2 per kilometre (from around 140 gm/km right now) by 2017 and to 113 gm/km by 2022.
ronendrasingh.s@thehindu.co.in
shishir.s@thehindu.co.in