The recently proposed changes in emission standards for passenger cars in India along with the five star rating for fuel efficiency have not been received kindly by the automobile industry in India. The latter has joined forces with the SIAM (Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers), a popular organization comprising of members that constitute both domestic and foreign car and engine manufacturers.
As a communication channel between the automobile industry and the government, international and national agencies, the SIAM works in close tandem with all stakeholders and plays a crucial role in the formulation of policies, rules and regulations concerning the industry. As an interface to the Indian automobile industry, the SIAM helps to expand trade and technology exchange with its counterparts in other countries. Although dominated by Indian automobile manufacturers in a major way, the SIAM comprises of foreign automobile makers including Renault, BMW, Ford, Volkswagen, Fiat, Fort, General Motors, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and many more. What needs to be noted here is the fact that even though foreign car makers are members of the SIAM in India, globally they are an entity in their own right. As premiere car manufacturers, each one of these foreign players invests heavily into research and development and are highly competitive when it comes to capturing automobile markets across the world. While India still struggles to implement emission control standards adopted by the rest of the world, foreign car manufacturers are constantly working to reinvent their technology to stay in tune with the world that is working towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Hyundai for example, introduced the Blue Drive technology in 2009 as a technological strategy to bring down Co2 emissions of its cars. In the short term, the technology aims to increase the fuel efficiency of its cars and develop vehicles that run on alternative fuel. The ultimate aim of the technology is to develop cars that have zero Co2 emissions. BMW for example has already been able to reduce its Co2 emission levels to 145 gms per kilometre and is in tune with the European targets of 2015. Germany-based Volkswagen, which once vehemently opposed the proposed European emission targets, recently announced that it would reduce Co2 emissions to 120 gms per kilometre. Such drastic reductions in carbon emissions could only be achieved through huge amounts of investments to the tune of billions of dollars and the commitment towards developing greener cars. While the process is not an easy one, global car manufacturers have announced their readiness to meet the stringent standards of emission norms as laid down by the European Commission for 2015 and 2020. It is understood that developing and implementing changes in fuel efficiency and carbon emissions could mean huge investments for domestic players. The Indian government has proposed emission standards corresponding to a fuel economy of 128 gms per kilometre by 2015 while the automobile industry believes 142 gms per kilometre by 2017 to be a more realistic target. However, as the world shifts gears to radically reduce emission rates, the Indian automobile industry is not left with much choice. To compete with their foreign counterparts who are definitely far ahead in the race, Indian automobile manufacturers need to follow suit to avoid falling behind in terms of both emission norms and sales.Foreign SIAM members ahead on Emission Standards is a post from: India Transport Portal
