6 Airbags Now Compulsory For All Indian Cars: Upto Rs 30,000 Extra Cost Can Be Imposed On Customers?

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has announced that the government will make it mandatory for cars in India to have 6 airbags.

Second Revision

The rule applies to motor vehicles carrying upto 8 passengers.

A draft notification to that effect has been passed. 

A mandate making 2 airbags compulsory, including the cheapest ones on the market had come into effect this January.

Estimated Costs

This time, the safety of the rear occupancy of these vehicles is being taken into consideration, adding 4 airbags for their protection from fatal and non-fatal injuries.

He had urged automakers in the country to provide 6 airbags and for airbag manufacturers to provide the cost and necessary vehicle modifications last year.

Adding 4 more airbags is estimated to cost around Rs 8,000-10,000, with each airbag priced at Rs 1,800 to 2,000 and the modifications costing Rs 2,000.

Required Modifications

Modifications will also have to be made since most entry-level cars would have to have their chassis RE engineered as they are not structurally designed to provide the safety that comes with cars featuring 6 airbags.

However, the cost for the end user would be far higher, with prices of vehicles currently offered with dual front airbags only to go up by around Rs 30,000 with the addition of 4 more.

Additional Safety

4 additional airbags have been made compulsory in order to minimize the impact of frontal and lateral collisions to the occupants seated in front and behind. 

Therefore, it will be mandated in the M1 vehicle category: two side/side torso airbags and two side curtain/tube airbags covering all outboard passengers, explained Gadkari.

The rule will apply to budget to mid-range vehicles that are not equipped with rear passenger airbags, since most cars on sale under Rs 20 lakh only provide rear and side airbags for the top-spec variants.