German automaker Mercedes-Benz will be the first car-maker in India to sell BSVI fuel compatible cars in India and the company is all set to do this much ahead of the timelines framed by the government (2020). To be more precise, Mercedes-Benz India will roll out the BSVI cars and SUVs two years ahead of schedule. It was in 2016, Mercedes-Benz had committed to be ready with BS VI fuels and now with government accelrating the push by advancement of availability of BSVI fuel, Mercedes-Benz will roll out its first BSVI car in India on January 19, 2018.
Euro 6 equivalent Bharat Stage 6 norms will be implemented across India starting from April 2020 and Government owned oil refineries have already started investing to develop the infrastructure to manufacture BSVI compliant fuel. To combat the high level of pollution in Delhi and National Capital Region, Oil Ministry has already confirmed that it will advance the roll out of BS-VI fuel in Delhi to April 2018 from earlier commitment of April 2020. Mercedes-Benz India says that its BS-VI compatible cars will be ‘Made in India, for India’.
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Government in consultation with stakeholders has decided to meet international best practices by leapfrogging directly from BS-IV to BS-VI grade by 1stApril, 2020, skipping BS-V altogether. Oil refining companies are making huge investments in fuel up gradation projects to produce the BS-VI grade fuels.
Oil refineries have invested about Rs 30,000 crore in upgrading its refineries for the production of BSVI compliant fuel. Earlier, Petroleum Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan said that Bharat Stage VI (BS VI) will be introduced by April 2020 and it will be as clean as CNG. While the nation wide implementation of BS-VI fuel will take and time and will be done by April 2020, Delhi is likely to be the first city to get BS-VI fuel. Now the question is how soon will automakers upgrade its product to meet the BS-VI norms requirement.
Expect other automakers to follow Mercedes-Benz India and announce its vehicles to be BS-VI compliant well ahead of the 2020 deadline.
