NEW DELHI: India will introduce a safetyrating system for passenger cars - a measure it hopes willencourage manufacturers to provide advanced safety features andwill boost the “export worthiness” of vehicles produced in thecountry.

The road transport ministry said in a statement it willassign a rating of one to five stars for cars, based on testsassessing adult and child occupant protection as well as safetyassist technologies.

The new system is slated to come into effect in April 2023.

India, which has some of the world’s deadliest roads, hasalso proposed mandating that all passenger cars have six airbags, despite resistance from some carmakers who say it willincrease the cost of vehicles. Current rules call for twoairbags - one for the driver and one for the front passenger.

India is the world’s fifth-largest car market, with annualsales of around 3 million units a year. Maruti Suzuki,majority-owned by Japan’s Suzuki Motor, and HyundaiMotor are the biggest-selling automakers.