Mercedes-Benz India seeks to improve safety, assistance systems in cars

Welcoming the government’s decision to enforce stringent crash test norms and making them mandatory for all new cars from October 2017, he said “Mercedes-Benz products globally are available with radar-based driver assistance systems such as collision prevention assist, blind spot assist, distronic plus to enhance road safety and benefit the customers.” 

He, however, said the company is unable to introduce such technologies in its cars in India, since the requisite frequency bands were not de-licensed. “We had requested government for de-licensing of 24 GHz, 76 GHz and 79 GHz radar frequencies considering our immediate and future requirements. The Ministry of Communications and IT last year delicensed only 76 GHz frequency band,” Folger said. 

Delicensing of other two radar frequencies would enable MercedesBenz India to introduce advanced driver assistance systems in its products, he said, opining that “we believe the delicensing of all requisite radar frequency bands will be a significant milestone for the Indian auto industry.”  On the new crash test norms to be implemented from 2017 onwards Folger termed it as a landmark step towards making vehicles safer for occupants as well as drivers. 

“The Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assessment Programme, on lines of New Car Assessment Programme in other countries, is likely to judge cars in line with developed market parameters,” he said, adding Mercedes-Benz India is ready to switch to BS VI emission norms by 2018 subject to availability of compatible fuel.