After being unveiled in August this year, the Bharat New Car Assessment Program (BNCAP) officially took effect on October 1, 2023. The program has been designed in accordance with NCAP norms but has been tailored to satisfy the unique safety standards of the Indian market.
Bharat NCAP will begin testing the automobiles for crashes on December 15, according to local media reports. Over three dozen cars are in line to be crash-tested as per the Bharat NCAP norms.
The first set of cars to reportedly undergo the crash tests are Tata Harrier and Safari. Both the mid-sized SUVs became the first made-in-India cars to be awarded 5-star safety by Global NCAP in both adult and child safety ratings. Among other carmakers, Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai will send three models each, while Mahindra will send four cars. The exact model names of the cars to be tested will be revealed at a later stage. The autonomous testing body will pick three units of the base variant of each model.
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Meanwhile, European brands like Volkswagen, Skoda, Renault, and Citroen will reportedly wait and watch for the time being. While some OEMs are yet to take a call on the models they would want to be crash tested, others said their models have already been assigned safety ratings by Global NCAP and hence they will not send their models to Bharat NCAP for crash tests any time soon.
Bharat NCAP testing parameters
Testing parameters for Bharat NCAP are similar to its global counterpart. The crash test program is based on the Automotive Industry Standard AIS 197. Each car will go through 5 key tests: frontal impact, side impact, side pole impact, electronic stability control, and pedestrian-compliant front design. Based on these test results, a model will be awarded points for Adult Occupant Protection (AOP) and Child Occupant Protection (COP).
A computer animation professional with over 23 years of industry experience having served in leading organizations, TV channels & production facilities in Pakistan. An avid car enthusiast and petrolhead with an affection to deliver quality content to help shape opinions. Formerly written for PakWheels as well as major publications including Dawn. Founder of CarSpiritPK.com
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