Airbags in cars has always been a controversy between automotive manufacturers and the public. Recently, the Lahore High Court (LHC) took notice of the matter and issued an order to the Engineering Development Board (EDB). The LHC notice read, “Dear manufacturers, must install airbags in every vehicle.” To which the CEO of Toyota Indus Motor Company (IMC) has replied, “Sure, but we need time to do that, also, adding airbags will increase the car prices.”
The CEO of Toyota Indus Motors and Chairman of the Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers’ Association (PAMA), Ali Asghar Jamali, made a guest appearance on a morning show. The Toyota CEO answered a few common questions related to the airbags safety feature in Pakistani cars. Here’s the full dialogue.
Airbags in Pakistani Cars ft. Toyota CEO
The Q&A session with Jamali, the CEO of Toyota Indus Motors, started with some basic questions and ended with real talk.
How many cars in Pakistan have airbags?
“Toyota IMC’s entire car lineup has dual airbags.
80 percent of the Honda Atlas car lineup have airbags.
50 percent of the Pak Suzuki car lineup have airbags.”
How many cars under Rs. 1.5 million have airbags?
“Most of the cars under Rs. 1.5 million come with airbags. Some in the 800cc and below segment lack this safety feature.”
What about the cars worth over Rs. 2 million? They all have airbags?
“Yes, all cars over Rs. 2 million have airbags. Take Suzuki Swift as an example; you find an airbag in Swift.”
Why do cars have faulty airbags, and who is responsible?
“Just like many other car units, Pakistani auto manufacturers import airbags from other countries. As per the companies’ expectations, all the imported units are of the same quality”, Jamali said.
What are your thoughts on LHC’s order? Will auto manufacturers act upon it?
“The Lahore High Court had instructed the Engineering Development Board (EDB) to develop legislation for the installation of airbags in cars. However, the automakers received no legal notice from the government. Still, we heard the news and tried to prepare for the order. However, the installation of airbags in every vehicle on such short notice is impossible. So, the manufacturers need time to make this happen, and when we do, car prices will definitely go up.”
Truth of the Matter
First of all, not all of the cars over Rs. 2 million have airbags, especially Suzuki Swift. Not sure which Swift the Toyota CEO and Chairman PAMA is referring to. Second of all, more price hikes?? Increasing car prices because of the addition of airbags in cars will be too much for the public.
What do you think about the Toyota CEO’s response to LHC’s order of airbags installation in cars? Tell us in the comments.
Disclaimer: Earlier this article attributed the statement of faulty airbags with Toyota CEO, Ali Jamali, which he did not say. We regret the mistake and apologize for any inconvenience caused. The article has been corrected.
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