India’s mandatory six-airbags proposal might not be welcomed by all manufacturers with open arms. It was quite obvious that the introduction of six airbags in a car would increase costs significantly and this would hurt the small cars business. Well, Maruti Suzuki is the first manufacturer to have spoken up against the mandatory implementation of six airbags.
Airbags are one of the most important inventions in the automotive world. It increased automotive safety by leaps and bounds and has protected thousands of lives in crashes that could otherwise prove lethal. The invention of airbags and the history thereof makes for quite an interesting read too.
Several premium cars in India always featured airbags even in the past. These premium cars have now switched to a minimum of six airbags and that simply means there is no reason for worry as they already meet the minimum. Some luxury cars even get eight airbags. However, it is quite the opposite at the lower end of the spectrum.
Until recently, small cars didn’t feature any airbags at all. This was because re-engineering cars and redesigning the existing dashboards didn’t make sense in terms of costing. However, the Indian government made it mandatory for all cars sold in India to have at least one airbag in 2019.
In 2021 though, the government made it mandatory for all cars to have a minimum of 2 airbags. Now, the government is proposing six airbags be made mandatory and this is setting off alarm bells at some companies.
The reason for this is quite simple. Adding four more airbags to a car could add up to Rs 20,000 in terms of costing. If Rs 20,000 is added to a car that costs Rs 10 lakh ex-showroom, it wouldn’t make a huge difference as buyers would see that they are getting more value for money in terms of increased safety.
However, if this Rs 20,000 is added to a car that costs Rs 3.25 lakh ex-showroom, and the buyer really starts contemplating if this purchase is necessary. The car in question here is the base STD model of the Maruti Suzuki Alto. Also, in the case of the Alto, some re-engineering of the body structure would be necessary to accommodate the extra number of airbags and this increases the cost of manufacturing significantly.
With these reasons in mind, we actually begin to see just why Maruti Suzuki isn’t too thrilled with the six airbags rule. RC Bhargava, Chairman of Maruti Suzuki was quoted as saying, “This will hurt the small car market and the smaller and poorer people, who cannot afford the more expensive cars.”
While this statement does hold true, one cannot set aside the advantages of having six airbags in a car. It might cost more, but the lives of occupants are more precious than the marginally higher cost. Sales might drop for a while, but it will eventually pick up.
The Greater Risk For Maruti Suzuki
Product discontinuation is a greater risk for Maruti Suzuki than anything else. When the government made one airbag mandatory in 2019, Maruti Suzuki had to discontinue a few cars that were earlier considered evergreen. The Maruti Suzuki Omni, 800, and Gypsy, all fell prey to the one airbag rule.
It was simply impossible for Maruti Suzuki to implement modern safety technologies like airbags in these old-school vehicles and discontinuation was the only option. Even now, if six airbags cannot be engineered into the brand’s existing cars, product discontinuation is a great risk.
The Bigger Picture
A greater number of airbags in a car is only one side of the safety coin. The other side of the coin comes through great engineering built into the chassis and body structure. Crumple zones, energy absorption zones and stronger cabins have to be built into the vehicle.
If a manufacturer places six airbags in a car that is not strong in terms of the structure, it wouldn’t be of much use in a crash. Better crash protection first needs to be built into the body structure and chassis in order to make cars safer. The government really needs to keep this in mind while formulating new rules for automotive safety.
Thoughts On Maruti Suzuki Opposing The Upcoming Six Airbags Rule
Maruti Suzuki is surely not the only brand that is feeling uneasy with this upcoming rule. Many other manufacturers would have to go back to the drawing board with some of their products and this is surely going to be an expensive new safety rule. It remains to be seen if the government will actually go through with implementing this safety norm.
Keyword: Six Airbags Mandatory In India — Maruti Suzuki Seems Unhappy With Upcoming Safety Rule: Here’s Why