Based on a study done by IIT – Mumbai, the government has mandated 70 percent galvanisation of body panels a compulsion. Galvanisation is a process of coating a steel surface with Zinc. The study done by IIT revealed cars were only galvanised by a margin of 30 % for Indian spec cars. Galvansation makes the steel resistant to corrosion, which is beneficial in the long run. No corrosion would lead to a rust free car which would help keep the vehicles structural integrity intact. This would make cars in general, much more safe.
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The step is taken to improve the build quality of cars priced under INR 10 L. It will not but difficult for manufacturers to fulfil considering many countries across the world have the rule in place. Its surprising the manufacturers would use two different qualities of metal for the domestic and international market. The step may increase the manufacturing costs of vehicles by a bit but safety is worth the extra cash. Not only the structural integrity, but the vehicles paint also would last longer since the panels will be less prone to corrosion.
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We also tip our hat to the folks at IIT Mumbai who took an initiative to do such a study. Car safety is getting more and more important day by day. While its our duty to drive safe and avoid any mishaps, having a car with good build quality could be the difference between surviving the crash or not surviving the crash. We applaud them and encourage them to do more safety related experiments to make cars on Indian roads safer.