india tweets

At least Toyota and Honda believe that “small” should not be classified on the basis of length.

This is in sharp contrast to the views of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) that has been demanding that, no matter what the capacity of the engine, cars must be classified as small only on the basis of their length. Presently, cars that are four metres or less in length and having a 1,200 cc petrol or 1,500 cc diesel engine are classified as small, and attract a lower 8% excise duty against 20%, plus Rs 20,000 additional levy for big cars.

The Japanese automotive giants, however, have sought to make fuel efficiency and automotive safety the sole criteria for classifying a car a small. The fixation with length needs to be shed, they say. SIAM is in a fix.