Start preparing for BS-7 vehicles, don’t wait for govt push: Nitin Gadkari

Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari

Keeping pollution in mind, Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari has urged the automobile industry to start preparing for the next generation of BS-7 compliant vehicles and not to wait for the government's push.

BS-7 complaint automobiles will be prepared on the lines of proposed Euro-7 emissions standards. The European Commission has proposed to roll out the Euro-7 norm from July 2025 for new cars and vans, and July 2027 for new trucks and buses. Sources said the road transport ministry has started initial work for the BS-7 emission standard.

Speaking about the same at the apex technical committee on vehicle standards (CMVR-TSC) meeting, Gadkari said that the automakers in India now should start their own research and keep a focus on making vehicles as per BS-7 norms. He said this time the industries have to take the initiative on their own. They should not wait for deadlines from the government, which already happened at the time of the BS-6 transition.

Indian auto industry should also go parallel to European counterparts, the minister added.

Gadkari's comments come after days of the European Commission declaring that it will start implementing Euro-7 emission norms by July 2025 for new cars and vans. Later, in 2027, the same will be implemented for new trucks and buses.

To export their goods to European nations and to reduce local vehicular pollution, the auto industry in India also will have to follow the transition from the present BS-6 to BS-7.

Meanwhile, some reports say that leading car manufacturers such as Toyota and Honda already started working on a plan to minimise vehicular pollution.

(With inputs from CNN News18)