Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) is tightening screws on car makers operating in country to avoid any sort of fiasco in the future. The country's top vehicle testing agency plans to make its procedures much more stricter and increase their testing frequency, as well. Recently, ARAI was in the thick of things when General Motors, the American auto maker, admitted to violating testing norms for over a lakh units of the Chevrolet Tavera. In the same case, ARAI gave 'type approval' and 'conformity of production' certification to the Tavera Multi Utility Vehicle (MUV). Notably, the Chevrolet Tavera MUV is being manufactured from the year 2005 in the Indian auto market.
If reports are to be believed then ARAI has proposed a change in the procedure that is currently followed by the testing agency. Sources claim that ARAI wants to refrain from defining a particular day for picking up vehicles for the CoP test. Instead, the agency wants to give a broader time frame, say a week or a month, wherein it could visit the site without prior information and carry out the stipulated proceedings. Industry experts feel that the implication of this policy is likely to make the testing procedure much more secure than before. Sources claim that ARAI has plans of modernising the entire process to raise the level of randomness in the selection of vehicles. In this proposal, a computer-based procedure would select random vehicles from the factory, thereby decreasing the discretion of the manufacturer.
Although changes are being proposed in the procedure of selection and time period during which the agency visits, the main process is likely to remain the same. According to company officials, the current testing norms and methods are based on established concepts that are in tandem with European standards. However, they also feel that slight steps to fine tune the entire process would be ideal for the Indian auto industry. Making the process more watertight would ensure that there are no violations and all rules are adhered.
A source close to this development has claimed that ARAI is going to submit a report to the committee that has been set up by the ministry of heavy industries. This committee was established post the controversy that took place at General Motors. The reports of the same are being developed and will be submitted in some time. Notably, General Motors India had confessed to the government in a letter that testing norms had been violated for over a lakh models of Chevrolet Tavera. This incident damaged the reputation of the Indian auto industry, raising questions on the procedures that prevail.
