Cars manufactured in India are required to meet frontal crash test norms. Last year, many vehicles failed these stringent tests. Assam HC barred all manufacturers from selling cars that did not meet crash test norms, affecting about 140 models.

NEW DELHI: The automobile business in Assam , the largest market in northeast India, has screeched to a halt. A court has banned the launch and sale of small cars that don’t meet crash-test norms in the state in response to petitions that sought to make vehicles safer.The sale and registration of popular models such as Maruti Suzuki ’s Alto and Swift, Hyundai Motor Company’s i10 and EON and Honda Motor Company ’s Jazz have been stopped in Assam after the interim order by the Gauhati High Court.The move comes as a blow for car companies, which are trying to boost sales in a sluggish automotive market that grew 7% in the first four months of this financial year after two consecutive years of decline.The northeastern states account for 12% of car sales in the country, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers The petitioners said crash tests such as the Global New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP), which are followed in Europe and developed markets, should apply to cars sold in Assam because higher safety standards are required in mountainous regions.Addressing the concerns raised, the high court on June 26 barred all manufacturers from selling cars that did not meet crash-test norms, affecting about 140 models.Cars manufactured in India are currently required to meet frontal crash test norms. Last year, many vehicles failed the more stringent frontal offset crash tests conducted by global testing agency NCAP, which assesses the impact on a smaller area of the front portion of a vehicle. Variants such as Maruti Alto, Hyundai i10, Ford Figo and Datsun Go failed these tests, which are standard in the developed markets and are yet to be implemented in India.“The Centre is directed not to permit the auto manufacturers to release and sell the small four-wheelers with a mass up to 1,500 kg and quadricycles without putting them to crash test and emission test,” the court said in the interim order.In response, transport authorities have asked dealers to stop selling cars that don’t meet crash-test norms, leading to an almost blanket ban on the sale and registration of new vehicles in Assam.The issue doesn’t affect sports utility vehicles, which are bigger and have enough capacity to absorb impact and ensure passenger safety.The automotive industry is flabbergasted by the matter and companies are putting up their cases individually and through its apex body, SIAM. Major car companies including market leader Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Honda and Toyota confirmed they are facing issues in the market after the court order.Industry veterans say their cars meet frontal crash test norms, known locally as steering impact test, and that the stricter frontal offset crash tests would apply only from 2017, when facilities to conduct them are expected to be ready in India.“There is no case for stopping sale and registration of cars as we are meeting all the mandated frontal crash test norms. There is ambiguity on global crash norms that are currently not applicable in India.Companies have time till 2017, when India adopts these standards and all manufacturers would have to comply,” said a senior auto executive, preferring not to be identified as the matter is sub judice. The next hearing in the case is coming up on August 27.