The Indian government has been taking automotive safety up a notch by a notch. Last year they mandated 2 airbags in vehicles and there is another draft notification by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH) this year mandating 6 airbags scheduled to come into effect from October 1, 2022.
The new MORTH draft notification will accelerate people’s curiosity, awareness and adaptation of holistic automotive safety technology in India to be on par with global standards. Sukhdeep Sandhu, Head of Segment, Passive Safety Sensorics, Continental Automotive India, a global market leader in automotive safety solutions, in an exclusive interaction with Machine Maker, analysed the changes in the Indian automotive market in recent times in regards to safety and Continental’s stand to embrace this change.
New Draft Mirrors shift in the Indian Automobile Market
The new draft signals a crucial shift in the Indian automotive market trends in the current time and the future in terms of technological advancement for smart and safe user experience. The Indian automobile market has been seeing gradual changes in current times. In the past safety took a backseat and the first choice of concern was the price and convenience amongst other things.
“People were concerned about cost factors in basic safety measures like seat belts and airbags were considered luxurious choices. Given the fact, India’s favourite choice of cars for almost a decade had no airbags and even now choices like airbags come into mid-cost level vehicles”, said Sukhdeep Sandhu.
He added that now automotive safety has become the primary concern for users and OEMs has been picking on those gradual trend shifts and becoming market ready to provide advanced safety features like driver’s assistant in the Indian market to become more common options. This new draft by MORTH mandating six airbags is just a regulation manifestation of dominant changing narratives.
“People are going to become more aware and curious about advanced safety choices and there will be further market and regulatory changes around that”, added Mr Sandhu.
Multifaceted Change in the entire Automotive Ecosystem
This new draft will have a significant multifaceted impact on the entire ecosystem from the first level like manufacturers to suppliers to the user. It is not just about fitting six airbags in a car but rewiring the product design to facilitate those airbags with proper functionality which is going to be a tough challenge for engineers, especially in mid-size cars. The mechanical and electrical component requirements along with software application etc to regulate it all.
Mr Sandhu adds, “additionally, a new product line with added safety technology means a new set of testing, approvals, cost increments and obviously safety value will increase by a few degrees. However, the time deadline proves to be a challenge for draft compliance.” Mr Sandhu informed that there is no doubt that this draft will bring a safety-value addition for users and cue them to gradually adapt to more advanced automotive technology for passive, active or integrated automotive safety available in the market.
“OEMs could standardize their stand on safety measurements across the model, gradually introducing cars with higher quality and safety features in India. OEMs have to bring significant alterations in product design which will mean added benefits for component manufacturers, suppliers etc.”
Introducing Holistic Automotive Safety in India
Continental as a brand has safety as one of its core focus across different product lines throughout the world. “This new draft is in line with our standpoint, enabling us to standardize our market approach across the world”, added Sukhdeep Sandhu. Continental has been working to provide active, passive and integrated automotive safety solutions- an all-around holistic automotive safety approach around the world.
According to Mr Sandhu, “Continental has been aiming regular market intervention and establish engineering footprints to introduce advanced safety technologies available in the global market to Indian automotive market. More importantly, we have already started local manufacturing of these technologies to offer cost-efficient choices to the market 4-5 years back.”
Continued, Mr Sandhu, “Furthermore, we are continuously cultivating the backward supply chain to create a favourable atmosphere and acceptance of higher safety standards in India. Although the progress to the adaptation of such technologies has been lagging behind other global markets, the pace has picked up significantly in recent years and going in the right direction. Continental has positioned itself accurately in a timely manner to introduce next level of active, passive and integrated automotive safety in India.”
“In terms of the new draft, we are going to take a modular approach, reuse technology across different models, optimize engineering efforts and utilize product line to embrace the technological shift required for this. As for the time constraint posing as a challenge, we may look into already available technologies available in the global or domestic market. We may even look into the provision of scaling up to a certain extent,” he added.
Indian Automotive Industry & Future
The Indian automotive industry has been undergoing a tremendous shift due to energy sustainability and moving forward to alternative energy-powered vehicles like electric vehicles to autonomous vehicles. “It is evident that the electric vehicle segment will pick up the pace, especially in the two-wheeler segment and a significant jump in the four-wheeler segment with that Extended-EV features will become a matter of concern”, said Mr Sandhu.
As per Sukhdeep Sandhu Continental Automotive will play an important role to lead a market revolution in the EV segment. “Connected Vehicle Technology is going to be a market dominator introducing a lot of smart application features in future cars. Lastly, holistic automotive safety will become one of the driving forces behind the design of future cars”, concluded Sukhdeep Sandhu.
