Soon automakers to deliver cars fitted with number plates

In a major relief to consumers, vehicles will soon come fitted with number plates and the cost will be included in the four-wheelers' price.

"We have taken an important decision. Now, manufacturers will fit the plates and embossing will be done later through machine," Union Minister Nitin Gadkari told newswire PTI.

Currently, a vehicle license plate -- which is attached to vehicles bearing its official registration number, commonly known as "a number plate" -- is procured by various states separately from designated agencies.

The minister said the new technology number plates were intended to bring relief not only to consumers but also to bring in uniformity across states as each state used to buy these plates earlier, the PTI report said.

Also, Gadkari reiterated that there would be no compromise in terms of security as far as vehicles were concerned and such norms will be same for all models be it economy or luxury.

"We will not compromise with security.... what security norms we have done for economic models, same is for luxury and SUVs," he told PTI.

The government has recently made it mandatory for all cars manufactured after July 2019 to have air bags for drivers and seat-belt reminders besides speeding alert systems beyond 80 km/hour and sensors for reverse parking to avoid accidents.

Though airbag is not mandatory in many parts of the world, several automobile companies have already equipped their cars with airbags as a standard fitment or as an option.

The new rules also includes protection of occupants in the event of an offset frontal collision and requirements for behaviour of steering mechanism in a head-on collision.