Earlier it was reported that the government might straightaway move to BS (Bharat Stage) VI emission norms instead of switching to BS V first, but now it turns out that things will go according to the earlier plan. Currently, BS III norms are in action and are implemented by every car manufacturer in India.
For some reason, the government had decided to skip BS V which was scheduled for implementation in 2020 and directly jump to BS VI after BS IV norms were levied in 2017. Manufacturers had protested against the sudden change of plans and when Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers interfered, the government had to get back to its earlier schemes.
Manufacturers would have been in a real pickle if this would have happened as most of their cars would have failed the emission tests as they were not ready with the tech required to pass them. This was surely a plan for the betterment of the environment but manufacturers could not have acted on such short notice because they have plans of their own and since the move would have required them to prioritize emissions, other things would have been left behind.
But, the government has not completely gone back to the earlier plan. BS IV norms will be levied in 2017 but BS V will be in place a year earlier in 2019 and subsequently BS VI will be in place in 2023. Manufacturers can afford to speed things up by a year and have not protested against this decision. India is one of the largest automotive markets in the world and it would have taken a serious hit if BS V was skipped.
