Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) had announced in October 2016 that sale or registration of pre-BSIV vehicles would not be allowed from April 1, 2017. Bajaj Auto Limited had initiated the process well in advance and has been manufacturing BSIV compliant vehicles since last October 2016.
The process has been completed last month well ahead of the April 1, 2017 deadline. All three of the company plants are now BSIV compliant as are all the company models which will now comply with this new emission standard. Bajaj Auto is the first auto maker in the country to have upgraded their entire fleet to BSIV norms.
New Pulsar RS200 BSIV
But that is not the case with other players in the auto industry. They are not ready, and are still selling old BSIII vehicles. Because they are a larger group, they are now calling for an extension of this deadline. The same has not gone down well with Rajiv Bajaj who cites that a demand of this kind will increase perception the sector does not care about the health and wellbeing of the general public.
Bajaj has appealed to the Government not to comply with demand and to roll out the BSIV regulation from April 1, 2017 as earlier indicated. He argued that the industry was given a full year to comply with this and it is the responsibility of every responsible corporate to ensure that their products meets these new emission norms.
Bajaj Auto Limited has invested heavily to ensure that their vehicle comply with the new BSIV emission norms. Additional costs have been passed on to customers with prices of vehicles increased by INR 1,000-INR 7,000. If the Government backtracks on its regulation and allows registration of BSIII vehicles, it could spell a loss to Bajaj Auto in the form of lower sales as their products are now more expensive than rivals due to BSIV upgrade.
This is not the first time Bajaj Auto is blasting the auto industry. They are already battling a similar battle against bodies who are opposing the launch of their quadricycle Qute. Read more on the same in our previous article here and here.
