BS-IV Cars & Motorcycles To Be Discontinued From April 2020: Here Are The Details

It was in 2016 when the Indian government introduced BS-VI emission norms after skipping BS-V norms, altogether. While some manufacturers have already introduced cars and motorcycles which meet the regulations, some others are yet to implement them.

The decision made by a bench of three judges (headed by Justice Madan B Lokur) considered giving a grace period to manufacturers to make a shift towards BS-VI emission standards. After some discussion, they decided the final date of effect while also quoting that "cleaner fuel is the need of the hour".

Initially, various manufacturers had aksed for a grace period to sell BS-IV stocks claiming that there are allowed to make BS-IV vehicles till the 1st of March, 2020. They also added that the country is making a rapid shift to BS-VI norms.

Hence, grace periods till June 30 and September 30, 2020 have been given to BS-IV-compliant four-wheelers and heavy transport vehicles, respectively. The government believes that this time period is enough for manufacturers to meet the new BS-VI emission norms.

This rapid shift to the updated emission norms is quite a challenge for both automotive manufacturers and petroleum industries. While various vehicles brands have to develop the required technology to produce the ‘cleaner' engines, refineries have to supply better-quality fuels. This will require a lot of initial investment.

Thoughts On Non-BS-VI Vehicles Being Discontinued

With the government becoming more strict on emission standards, manufacturers are forced to make fuel-efficient and low-emission engines for their products. This could also lead to an increased acceptance of vehicles running on alternative fuels and electric power. Currently, there are three BS-VI-compliant cars on sale in India: Mercedes-Benz S 350 d, Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain and BMW X1 sDrive20i.