India for fuel-efficient cars

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NEW DELHI, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- India plans to grade automobiles on their fuel efficiency once the government completes such a project, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said.

The Petroleum Conservation Research Association, the energy-auditing agency, is formulating fuel-efficiency standards for the automobile sector, a PCRA official said.

He said the PCRA was carrying out this exercise in collaboration with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency under the Ministry of Power. Mileage standards for cars will be set on the basis of engine capacity and the vehicle brands will be graded according to their conformity to the set standards, the official said.

The PCRA said it might be unable to stop the market entry of non-compliant vehicles.

"But the acceptance of lower-graded vehicles, in terms of mileage standards, will be left to the market's judgment," the official pointed out.

"This will be done in consultation with the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, Automotive Research Association of India and others," an official in the PCRA said.

The emission norms also will be tightened in parallel to the initiatives on the fuel-efficiency front. By 2010 Bharat Stage IV will be introduced in the cities where Bharat Stage III for emission norms is now in place.