New emission norms namely Bharat Stage IV or BS-IV which will come into effect in April 2010 was announced by the government.

 

Maruti 800, the country’s largest selling car Maruti Alto, and Hindustan Motor’s Ambassador among others will require huge investments in order to incorporate new emission standards.

 

Although $35-billion Indian automobile industry will get a year to overhaul its entire range to meet the new emission norms, experts say that upgrading older cars would be a difficult task.

 

The first emission norm was introduced a decade ago and the introduction of Bharat Stage I and II norms forced automakers in India to replace the conventional carburetor fuel system in vehicles with the modern fuel injection technology to meet statutory emission requirements.

 

Maruti the seller of every second car in India can upgrade the engines of comparatively newer cars like the SX4, Swift, A-Star and DZire to BSIV. The smaller-sized engine of the F-Series used in Maruti 800 and Alto will however require major changes.