ARAI Certifies Mercedes Benz India Wind Tunnel Facility for Road Load Assessment

The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) has granted official certification to the wind tunnel testing facility of Mercedes Benz India Private Limited for the determination of road load data across its M1 category passenger vehicles. The formal approval allows the luxury vehicle manufacturer to utilize a combination of an aerodynamic wind tunnel and a flat belt dynamometer to establish baseline road resistance forces. 

The technical evaluation recognizes the facility to deploy the specialized wind tunnel method under the established AIS 175 regulatory standard. This testing framework is designed to deliver high data correlation between closed laboratory simulations and physical test track measurements. The underlying AIS 175 standard governs the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure for measuring automotive exhaust emissions, as mandated by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways through a government notification issued on February 4, 2026. Under the current regulatory timeline, the mandatory test procedure is scheduled to come into full effect across the domestic automotive industry starting April 1, 2027.

The regulatory framework of the harmonized procedure provides automakers with the specific technical option to determine vehicle road load by substituting traditional outdoor coast down tests with integrated indoor wind tunnel and dynamometer facilities. The certification issued to the manufacturer represents the initial instance of an advanced aerodynamic facility gaining formal approval under the Central Motor Vehicle Rules framework in India.