New Delhi: Automobile industry is ready to meet BS-VI emission norms by 2020 despite a steep target and is poised for implementation of BS IV across India from April 1, 2017, waiting for nation-wide fuel availability, according to SIAM.
The auto industry body, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), however, cautioned that once the industry has chosen to go down the path of leapfrogging the emission norms, this road map should not be changed or delayed mid-way for any reason.
It also expressed concern that exemptions given to oil companies in some of the fuel specifications will make it even more difficult for the auto industry to meet other mandatory norms like those on fuel efficiency.
“India has been the fastest at adopting new safety and emission norms. This leapfrog would make India the first country in the world to accomplish such an accelerated progression in vehicular emission norms,” SIAM President Vinod Dasari said in a statement.
Indian auto industry is committed to meeting the challenge of complying with BS VI emission norms by 2020. The target is very stiff, but the auto industry has accepted the challenge in view of the rising concerns on vehicular pollution, especially in urban metros, he added.
Dasari said the move will not only entail a significant “telescoping of long-term investments into a much shorter timeframe of 3-4 years, but also deployment of a much larger technical resource drawn from the world over to enable compression in the time taken for technical development, testing and validation of the vehicles in Indian conditions”.
He, however, cautioned that “once the industry has chosen to go down the path of leapfrogging the emission norms, this road map should not be changed or delayed mid-way for any reason”.
Expressing concern over fuel availability, Dasari said the auto industry was hoping that “the oil sector would fulfil its role by making the required fuel available on a country-wide basis as per the new timeline and have testing fuel available a year sooner”.
“Also for two-wheelers, even the Euro 5 Emission Norms (equivalent to BS VI) in Europe is not yet finalised. This is a matter of concern for the two-wheeler industry, as our regulation will be ahead of even Europe,” he said.
On BS IV, Dasari said the auto industry is fully committed to and ready for implementing BS IV across the country on April 1, 2017 and is now waiting for the fuel availability on a pan-India basis.
PTI