The penetration of anti-lock braking system (ABS) is on the rise in India. This is good news for India, which tops the list of countries with the maximum number of road fatalities.

According to Bosch, 28 percent of passenger vehicles registered in India in 2013 were fitted with ABS. If the vehicles produced in India but are exported are also taken into account, then it is close to 35 percent.

The company expects the figures to rise this year. “This year we see a distinct trend of installation going up. By end of this year, this 28 percent of domestic vehicle installation should move to 34-35 percent and the total vehicles produced should be around 41-42 percent. This is our estimation. If the trend continues and the NCAP equivalent safety standard is launched, then the penetration will be faster,” says V Balasubramanian, deputy managing director, Bosch Chassis Systems India.

On the two-wheeler side, Bosch has started negotiations with two-wheeler OEMs to supply ABS. The discussions are at “different stages”. One challenge faced by OEMs is the additional cost involved with the ABS feature, which many customers are not ready to pay for. “Secondly, the technology today works with hydraulic brakes  which means you need at least one disc brake with single-channel or two-disc brakes with a twin channel, that is also available only with bikes above 125cc. It always starts with the higher vehicles and trickles down,” says Balasubramanian. With the low-cost, two-wheeler ABS which Bosch has developed, and an even lower cost version which is under development, Bosch would hope to ride over the barrier faced in the market.