Chennai, Jun 24 (IANS): Automobiles in India will get star ratings based on their performance in crash tests, said Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways on Friday.

Approving the Draft GSR Notification to introduce Bharat NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme) for awarding Star Ratings based on their performance in crash tests, Gadkari said Bharat-NCAP will serve as a consumer-centric platform allowing customers to opt for safer cars based on their ratings.

It will also promote healthy competition among original equipment manufacturers (OEM) in India to manufacture safer vehicles.

The Minister said Star Rating of Indian cars based on crash tests is extremely crucial not only to ensure structural and passenger safety in cars, but to also increase the export-worthiness of Indian automobiles.

He said the testing protocol of Bharat NCAP shall be aligned with Global Crash Test Protocols factoring in the existing Indian regulations, allowing OEMs to get their vehicles tested at India's own in-house testing facilities.

Gadkari said Bharat NCAP will prove to be a critical instrument in making our automobile industry Aatmanirbhar with the mission of making India the number one automobile hub in the world.