Thaindian News

New Delhi, Jan 4 (IANS) Auto makers Monday said they were not comfortable with the government’s move to rate cars on the basis of fuel efficiency.
“The industry is wondering what the star rating is all about,” said Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) director general Dilip Chenoy.

“It will not give any additional information to the customer. We already inform passengers about the mileage and other features when they buy vehicles,” Chenoy told reporters at the curtain-raiser of the 10th Auto Expo here in the national capital.

The proposal to rate cars on the basis of fuel efficiency comes from the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), and the power ministry is expected to implement it soon.

The rating will be done on a voluntary basis initially, but will be made mandatory later.

Industry representatives said the new five-star rating will only duplicate norms that are already in place. “But we are not opposed to declaring of fuel efficiency,” said SIAM president Pawan Goenka.

Last year, SIAM started a voluntary programme under which auto makers declared the mileage details of products based on standards set by the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI).

Goenka said the industry has begun working on reclassification of cars. “The changeover is not easy but we may do these reclassifications.”

According to Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) president Jayant Davar, reclassification was being done to ensure that each and every segment of a vehicle was correctly defined in terms of sales.

Currently, SIAM classifies cars only on the basis of length. Now this will also take into account engine displacement and horsepower.