The Real Driving Emissions (RDE) norms coming into effect in India from April 2023 onwards will cause the discontinuation of several cars and SUVs. This new set of emission regulations will measure pollutants such as NOx emitted from a car in real-world driving scenarios, taking into account the frequent changes in speed, acceleration and deceleration. Once the new norms are in effect, carmakers will have to upgrade their engines to lower emissions. The engine updation process will be expensive, especially for diesel vehicles and hence as many as 27 cars and SUVs are likely to be discontinued in the Indian market.
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RDE norms will require vehicles to have an on-board self-diagnostic device to scan real-time driving emission levels. The device will monitor critical parts such as catalytic converters and oxygen sensors for meeting emission standards. Carmakers will also have to upgrade the semiconductors of the vehicles to scan crankshaft positions, throttle, and engine temperature among others. The cars and SUVs will also have to be equipped with programmed fuel injectors to control the level of fuel burnt.
Since all diesel engines will have to move to the more expensive ‘selective catalytic reduction’ (SCR) tech of emissions control, the cost of diesel cars will rise substantially. Rising price will inevitably push carmakers to discontinue certain models or variants that do not justify the higher manufacturing and selling cost.
Honda will pull the plug on five cars– City 4th gen, City 5th gen (diesel), Amaze (diesel), Jazz, and WR-V. Mahindra will shut down the production lines on Marrazzo, Alturas G4, and KUV100. Hyundai and Skoda will discontinue two models each. While Hyundai will stop producing i20 and Verna diesel models, Skoda will shut the shop on Octavia and Superb. Tata Altroz (diesel), Renault Kwid 800, Nissan Kicks, and Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 will be discontinued, too.
As is evident, compact diesel cars will take the worst hit since the cost of upgrading smaller engines would be very high compared to the price of the car itself. Spending that amount becomes unviable in light of the fact that the demand for diesel vehicles in the hatchback and sedan segments has declined substantially over the past few years. Petrol cars whose ability to rake in business equal to the cost of the upgrades will also be discontinued.
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