Government body has accused BMW of making sub-standard products for the Indian market which have weaker safety measures as compared to its global products. The government panel also targeted the Maruti 800 for a poor safety record.
It is no news that automotive manufacturers in India do not value the life of an average Indian too much and continue to make vehicles which have safety ratings less than that of a McDonald’s Happy Meal toy. The average car buyer is not aware of what is under the sheet metal of his car and how much impact it can withstand, and unfortunately there is no way to test that in India right now. These sentiments are also shared by the National Road Safety Council of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, which says that global automobile manufacturers are willingly compromising on safety aspects of cars sold in India.
The National Road Safety Council has particularly singled out the BMW 3-Series as an example of cars which are made less safe for Indian conditions than the global model. The government body says that it analysed the crash of around 12 3-Series vehicles and they all split into two. It also says that the crash testing was done in which the side safety was given an average rating.
The body also pulled up the now discontinued Maruti 800 for being a deathtrap as the body cited data on the basis of FIRs in National Crime Records Bureau and claimed that 3 lakh lives were lost in accidents involving the car model. BMW claims that its complete range of global safety systems is consistent across the entire BMW model range in India. Maruti on other hand has chosen to remain mum on the topic.
The transport safety situation in India is currently very grim, a fact which cannot be more underlined by a single statistic – the number of road fatalities in India, which is currently the highest in the world. Everybody has heard stories of thinner sheet metal, missing impact bracings and ‘optional’ variants with safety packages announced but simply not produced. The new proposed transport bill currently in parliament is supposed to change this.
Government Body Lashes BMW 3-Series, Maruti 800 For Poor Safety
– The National Road Safety Council has said that the BMW 3-Series is made less safe for Indian conditions
– It claims that it analysed the crash of around 12 3-Series vehicles and they all split into two
– The body also chided Maruti for making the 800 unsafe which resulted in over 3 lakh fatalities
– The number of road fatalities in India is currently the highest in the world
