India’s Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is collaborating with various industry stakeholders to evolve standards of steel used in automobile manufacturing, focusing on making use of galvanized steel mandatory in automobile making, a senior government official said on Friday, July 16.
The government official said that only about 20 percent of automobiles manufactured in India use galvanized steel and that is only those meant for the export markets.
It has been established by steel producers that mandatory use of galvanized steel by automobile manufacturers will not only offer high corrosion resistance but will also ensure lighter chassis weight and higher fuel efficiencies, the official said.
However, standards and specifications of galvanized steel for use in automobile manufacturing will have to be laid down by the BIS before making its use mandatory as the standards will enable the government to make an assessment of total domestic availability of the raw material, import necessities and cost implications for auto companies, the official added.